


Family Hutch

by End_Transmission



Series: Family's What You Make It [3]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Hallucinations, Malhare is not a good force in any way, Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Nothing remotely sexual touches this, Possession, Promise, Sharing a Body, Suicidal Thoughts, There will be fluff too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:15:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 51,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22356268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/End_Transmission/pseuds/End_Transmission
Summary: Vanessa Afton has never known the Fazbear Family Arcade as anything but a place of family and comfort. She is far removed from the horrors of the chain's - and her father's - past. So when she gets the opportunity to play a game based off Fazbear Entertainment's darkest rumors, she jumps at it. After all, she's always liked horror - and it is just a game.
Relationships: Glitchtrap & Reluctant Follower (Five Nights at Freddy's), Reluctant Follower | Vanny | Ness & Animatronics, Reluctant Follower | Vanny | Ness & Fritz Smith, Reluctant Follower | Vanny | Ness & Michael Afton, Reluctant Follower | Vanny |Ness & Luis Cabrera
Series: Family's What You Make It [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1518800
Comments: 44
Kudos: 154





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and welcome. This is the third story in my FNAF AU - 'Family's What You Make It." Since this will follow a new main character, having read the first two stories is not necessarily required, but would probably be very helpful, in order to understand where we are now. Our new protagonist is deeply intertwined (and will interact with) characters from the first two works, after all! 
> 
> Also, please do pay attention to the tags. I promise a happy ending - but there will be lots of angst getting there. The heaviest themes in this work will be mental/emotional/physical manipulation, feelings of helplessness, body sharing, possession - look, if you know about Glitchtrap/Malhare, you probably have a solid idea of what to expect. I do expect this work to be over all darker than the other two.
> 
> This first chapter is a prologue, taking place not all that long after the end of Family Circus. This one is also pure fluff - just meant to get us from point A to B in the cutest way possible. Without further ado, please enjoy.

_**Prologue** _

The day that Michael Afton first met Vanessa, he didn't even register her existence at first. She was part of a family unit - two moms, a sibling - and as a whole they were just another group of customers at the Fazbear Family Arcade. He was thankful to most of the restaurant's patrons, of course, but he had a business to run and animatronics to watch - unless they approached him first, he didn't usually pay much attention to any specific customers. 

And then one of the moms came to Mike, looking uneasy but not especially worried. As it turned out, one of the children with them had wandered away from the group. 

"She's adventurous, and is getting into who knows what - we just need an extra hand tracking her down, if you have a minute?" She said. And of course Mike helped. Kids wandered behind the curtains or into small areas all the time - but that never stopped Mike from feeling a cold pit of dread everytime it happened. Just like any other time, however, he found the wayward girl - Vanessa, the woman had said - hiding behind a closed curtain. 

She was small - Mike had to guess she couldn't be any older than five. And yet, somehow, she'd managed to get up on Foxy's shoulders. She was sitting there and giggling, holding on to the fox's head by the ears. When Mike peeked behind the curtain, Foxy jerked to life, making Vanessa shout and giggle in surprised excitement. 

"Ahoy Mikey," Foxy greeted him, "Ye know, I feel a mite strange - I'd say we got a little stowaway on our hands!" Vanessa gasped and paused for a second before she giggled even harder, thrilled at the way the fox was moving and speaking. 

"That we do, Captain," Mike said, laughing softly in relief, "you must be Vanessa, huh? You know, your mom's looking for you. I think they're all getting ready to leave."

"Aww! But I wanna play with Foxy!" The little girl said, pouting as she held on firmer to Foxy's head, "Foxy! Foxy!" She chanted, the brief spell of disappointment gone as she giggled again. 

"Aye lass, and I'd like nothin' more to be playin' with ye, too," Foxy told her, eyes looking up towards the top of his head, "but it ain't good for a pirate to be makin' folks worry. Tell ye what, ye come back again sometime, and ol' Foxy will play with you then."

"Promise?" Vanessa asked, leaning over in order to look down into Foxy's eyes. The fox chuckled. 

"Aye, pirate's honor," He told her. 

"Kay," Vanessa responded, before leaning back and looking around her with a sudden worry. "It's tall!" she exclaimed. 

"Here," Mike said, stepping forward and holding his hands out, "let me help you, okay?" She nodded and reached out for him, so he scooped her up under the arms and set her down on the ground. As soon as he had, she took off with a shot, and Mike heard the older woman’s startled exclamation. 

"Cute kid," Mike said. 

"Aye," Foxy agreed, "I like that one, Mikey." Mike laughed, then reached over and scratched the fox's muzzle. 

"Of course you do, Foxy, you like all the kids. Did she get up there on her own?" Mike asked. 

"Aye! Quite the little climber, that one!" At Mike's raised eyebrow, Foxy gave him a wide grin. "Alright, ye caught me. I mighta leaned forward a bit, to make it easier on the lass. But I swear to ye Mikey, it was mostly her." 

"Yeah? Quite the little climber, indeed," Mike said, "keep an eye out for that one, Foxy - she's definitely going to be back."

"Aye, I sure hope so!" 

* * *

After that, Vanessa and her family quickly became staples of the Arcade, coming in nearly every weekend. Since he recognized them, Mike made sure to greet them every time they visited. Eventually, the women started having him stick around and chat while the kids played. Mike discovered that they were actually a certified foster family - and both Vanessa and the older child were foster children. While the older child might one day be reunited with his biological family, Vanessa would be in the system until she was adopted or aged out. She had no biological family left, beyond a mother who had already signed over her rights. As Mike got to know the little family better, he came to enjoy their company. The women were kind and warm and the older child was well-behaved and polite. 

But from the start, Vanessa was something special. 

She adored the animatronics with a ferocity that exceeded most kids. Hearing Foxy speak outside of showtime or free-roam had made her obsessed with the pirate. At first, he was all she talked about, and the only show that she made sure to always sit and watch. If she went 'missing,' she was almost always found behind Foxy's curtain. The animatronic didn't much help, given he was usually in there telling her a special story. Mike couldn't blame the old pirate, though - she was an avid listener, and clearly enamored with Foxy. 

But then, somehow, she must have realized that if he could talk to her, so could the others. 

Mike noticed her, one day. Rather than hanging constantly around Pirate Cove, she was watching the main stage instead. And when the animatronics began to wander the floor, she followed Chica like a shadow, going everywhere the chicken went. Mike could see that Chica was in on the game - she moved a bit slower than normal, and everything she did she did in such a way that Vanessa could see. Chica didn't talk to the girl, at first, but that was because Vanessa was sneaking after her like a spy - as if hoping to catch Chica doing something special. And so, Mike joined in on the fun too. He surreptitiously followed both of them, until eventually he snuck up a little ways behind Vanessa. Chica was making her way towards the stage, and the little group was away from the other children. 

"Boo!" He said in a stage whisper. With a small yelp of surprise, Vanessa jumped and turned around quickly, peering at him with wide eyes. "What're you doing, kiddo?" Mike asked her, grinning despite himself. 

"Nothin'!" She said, shaking her head, "just, um, just playing!" 

"Just playing, hum?" Chica asked quietly. That caused Vanessa to spin back around and gape at the chicken, astounded. "You know, I thought I noticed a shadow following me about today. Was that you all this time, Vanessa?" 

"You _can_ talk," Vanessa said in awe, peering up at Chica, "like me! You can talk like me!" 

"That's right," Chica said, reaching out and ruffling the girl's hair gently. 

"How'd you know my name?" Vanessa asked. 

"Foxy told me! He talks about you a lot, you know. Says you're his favorite little matey."

"Me?!" Vanessa asked, pointing to herself with mouth slightly agape. "I'm his favorite?!" 

"You sure are! But don't tell the other kids, okay? We don't want them to feel left out," Chica answered. 

"Oh, okay," Vanessa readily agreed. She peered up at the chicken for a second longer, then held her arms up pointedly. Chica looked taken aback, but after a second leaned down slightly to pick the little girl up. Chica settled Vanessa easily on her hip, while Vanessa giggled. "You're really tall!" She exclaimed. 

"Well, that's very kind of you to say," Chica said cheerfully, "most of the others are taller though, you know! You should see if Spring Bonnie will let you sit on his shoulders some time. He's much taller than me!" 

“Can I?” Vanessa asked.

“You’ll have to ask him,” Chica responded, “but I bet he’d let you.” 

“Alright kiddo,” Mike said, “I know you’re having fun, but Chica’s got to get ready for her next show. And you gotta get back to your foster moms.” He wasn’t at all surprised when Vanessa pouted, looking immediately put out. 

“He’s right,” Chica told her, “but you’re always welcome to come and talk to me if you see me, okay? You can even follow me again, if you want! I don’t mind having a little friend with me.” Vanessa thought that over, then nodded as Chica put her back down.

“Kay. Have a good show, Chica!” Vanessa said. Chica reached out and ruffled the girl’s hair again, causing her to explode in another flurry of giggles. Then, she turned and trotted off, leaving Chica and Mike alone.

"What a little sweetie," Chica said, clapping her hands together, “she’s the cutest!”

"The cutest?” Mike asked, raising an eyebrow, “that’s awful biased of you, Chica.”

“Yes, well, what the other kids don’t know won’t hurt them.”

* * *

"Mike? Whatcha doin'?" The little voice startled Mike out of his thoughts. He blinked and looked up from his task, surprised to see Vanessa standing near him, peering at him with her head turned curiously. It'd been about two weeks since she'd spoken with Chica, and the little girl's curiosity about the animatronics had become insatiable. She spent any time she had at the Arcade watching the animatronics perform, or following them around the main floor if they were free roaming, no longer even pretending to play with other children or the arcade games. 

But currently, there were no shows and the animatronics were tucked away - the best time for getting kids to actually sit and eat. Mike was sitting in a corner of the room, fine-tuning Bonnie's guitar. It was usually a task the rabbit preferred to do himself, but sometimes it needed small fixes only Mike's human fingers could perform. Most of those were already completed, so all that was left to do was to tune the instrument up. Mike had been so focused on the task, though, that he hadn't heard Vanessa come up to him until she was already at his knee. 

"Well, Bonnie's guitar is a little out of tune, so I'm fixing it up for him," Mike explained. 

"Oh. Can I help?" 

Mike hummed lightly, glancing at the guitar and then back to Vanessa. She was watching him with wide, hopeful eyes. So, of course he couldn't say no. 

"Of course you can," He said, "see these strings? I need you to pluck them one at a time for me," he paused to demonstrate, "We're gonna listen to them and make sure everything sounds right. Okay?" 

"Okay!" 

"Great, go for it," Mike said, holding the guitar out at an angle so she could reach it better. She stuck her tongue out slightly in concentration and reached out, carefully plucking a string. When it let out a loud tune, she jumped slightly, giggled, then reached out to pluck the next. She plucked them until reaching the second to last - when that one let out a loud, off-tune twang, she jumped again. 

"Oh! That one's bad!" she exclaimed. 

"Sure is," Mike agreed, "but it's okay because we can fix it." He shifted the guitar around so she could reach the tuning pegs. "Can you see which one of these goes to the string that's wrong?" 

Vanessa peered close for a long moment, before finally pointing to one. 

"You're really close, good job!" Mike told her. He pointed to the correct one, then slowly traced it down the string to show her. "But see? It's this one here. So, now we just gotta turn this one a bit to make it sound better. Watch." He adjusted the tuning peg as she watched intently. "Okay, go ahead and hit that string again." Vanessa did, then tilted her head. 

"It's still bad," she pointed out. 

"Yup," Mike agreed, "but it's better, don't you think?" When she nodded, he continued. "So, all we have to do is adjust it a little bit by a little bit, until it sounds perfect." And so they did, and once they finally got it properly tuned, Vanessa burst out into a wide smile. 

"Great job!" Mike praised, "and thank you, you were a really big help!" He smiled when she giggled. "Alright, let's get this back to Bonnie, okay? He's going to need it for the next show."

"Oh! Oh! Can I give it to him?" She asked, jumping in place in excitement. Mike couldn't help but laugh. 

"Yeah, of course," He agreed, getting to his feet, "I'll hold it until we get there though, okay? It's pretty heavy."

"Mmkay," she agreed, "but I still wanna give it to him!" 

"Sure thing, kiddo." Together, they headed over to the stage, closest to Bonnie's side. They slipped behind the curtain, though Mike stayed close to its edge.

"Hey Bon," Mike said, "we've brought your guitar back." At that, Bonnie looked over, his ears perking up on his head. 

"That’s great! Oh,” Bonnie paused, looking to Vanessa, “Hello! Who’s this, Mike?" 

"This is Vanessa, and she helped me fix your guitar," Mike explained. Then he walked up behind Vanessa and lifted the guitar over her head, holding it slightly in front of her. She grabbed it and, with Mike still holding most of the weight, did her best to hold it out towards Bonnie. The rabbit reached out and took the guitar carefully from the humans. He draped its string over his neck, then gave it an experimental twang. 

"It sounds great! You helped fix it up for me, Vanessa?" Bonnie asked. Shyly, the little girl nodded. "Well, you have my thanks. It sounds better than ever!" He crouched down and reached out, gently booping Vanessa's nose. "You're a very helpful little girl, Ness. Thanks for being a pal!" Vanessa blinked, then giggled. 

"You're welcome, Bonnie!" She said. Then, she turned slightly to look at Mike. "Mike! I wanna help again, okay?" 

"Yeah, sure thing," Mike agreed with a smile, "next time I need some help, I'll know just who to ask."

"Yay!" Vanessa exclaimed, beaming at them both before taking off, once again, without so much as a goodbye. 

"She's a cutie!" Bonnie exclaimed, standing back up, "I see what you mean now, Chica."

"I told you," the chicken spoke up, "isn't she the sweetest?" 

"She is kind of something special, isn't she?" Mike asked, turning slightly to watch her go. 

* * *

As time passed, Mike only grew closer to the little foster family. Most of his interactions were with Vanessa who, after the guitar, took to following Mike around almost as much as the animatronics. She was insatiably curious, asking him constant questions about every little thing he did. It didn't bother Mike in the slightest, though. He found her curiosity adorable. 

"Vanessa's been going on and on about helping fix that guitar," Lisa - one of her foster moms - told him one day, as he sat with them during lunch, "she really had a lot of fun with that."

"Was...was that alright?" Mike asked, uncertainly, "I figured there was no harm in letting her help, especially since we were out here in plain sight and all. I'm not really used to the kids being all that interested in what I'm doing so, uh, I hope I didn't misstep?" 

"No, no. She had a great time," Lisa reassured him, "I appreciate you humoring her, actually. With that, and with her following the animatronics around so much. And you, now. I hope she doesn't get too underfoot?" 

"Oh no, not at all. She's welcome to follow us as much as she wants. She's really interested in the animatronics especially - seems like something to foster, you know? Maybe she'll get into robotics one day," Mike said. To his surprise, Lisa chuckled softly at that. 

"Maybe," she agreed, "at any rate, this has turned out to be the perfect place to bring her, and I'm grateful." She paused. "Do you have any children, Mike?" 

“No, not me,” Mike said, shaking his head, “this place is about as close to having kids as I’ve gotten.”

"Well, then this place is in good hands," Lisa said. They went quiet for a time as they ate - the sounds of the restaurant around them filling the silence. Eventually, Lisa sat her napkin down and looked at Mike again. "You know, Mike. Not to brag, but I make a killer shepherd's pie. Would you want to come over for dinner, some time?" 

"Me?" Mike asked, taken off guard. 

"You," Lisa agreed, "I know it's a bit random, maybe, but if Vanessa is going to be tagging along with you so much, I'd like to get to know you a bit better, you know?" Mike supposed that made sense. Although, he thought their frequent conversations at the restaurant were plenty - but, it was true that the restaurant didn't sell anything half as nice as shepherd's pie. And if getting to know Mike more made them feel better, he wasn’t about to deny them the chance. So, Mike nodded. 

"Uhm, sure. That sounds...nice." 

"Great," Lisa said with a smile, immediately launching into making a plan. 

Dinner at their house was surprisingly easy, that first night. Mike had been apprehensive, but once he got there he was welcomed in so warmly that he forgot all of his nervousness entirely. It helped that Vanessa insisted on showing him every single stuffed animal she owned - which ended up being a lot more than he would have assumed. She brought them out while Mike was sitting in the living room with Lisa and her wife, Roma, and before long, Mike found himself and his chair swimming in a sea of stuffed animals. 

"She likes to collect them," Roma said, laughing, "and well, they make her happy. Who are we to tell her no?" 

And that wasn't the last time Mike visited - the women were emboldened by the first dinner, and started inviting him along often. Over the next month or so, he spent multiple dinners with the family. Mike wasn't sure what their ulterior motive was - though he knew there _was_ one - but he was pretty sure it was harmless. He figured they might pity him a bit - a man just entering middle age, with no obvious human family to speak of. But if they did, they didn't make it obvious. And Mike didn't complain. Mostly because he enjoyed their company. 

And he enjoyed getting to spend quality time with Vanessa, too. 

She reminded him of himself, in some ways. She was quick to bond - not only with the animatronics, but with Mike as well. Something he'd always seen as a flaw in himself was endearing in her - even if it did make him watch her closer at the Arcade, to be sure she didn't attach to the wrong adult. 

As Lisa and Roma grew more friendly with Mike, they started to trust that Vanessa was perfectly safe at the Arcade, so long as she was following Mike around. So much so that, eventually, they broached the idea of Mike more or less babysitting Vanessa during the day. Roma could often work from home, they told him, so between that and daycare they’d always managed. But it’d be helpful, they said, if there was a place they knew Vanessa could go - that she would actually _enjoy_ going to. Something more than just daycare. With plenty of entertainment but also an adult that they could not only trust, but who Vanessa trusted as well. 

“It’s just an idea,” Lisa had said, “and if you’re not comfortable with it, we completely understand. I know you have a business to run, after all, and it’s not a daycare. But, well, we thought the idea was at least worth mentioning.”

Mike, of course, had agreed wholeheartedly. 

* * *

"Alright Ness, are you ready?" Mike asked, looking over at the girl, "Remember, we’re going to open him all the way up - don’t get scared, it’s just so we can make him feel better.”

"I'm ready!" Vanessa exclaimed immediately, bouncing slightly in place. She, Mike, and Freddy were in the Parts and Services room. Freddy was sat in front of them - a bit of emergency repair had become necessary when the bear's music box suddenly cut out during a performance. Vanessa, of course, had wanted to follow Mike and watch the procedure. Mike had hesitated, but at her excitement and Freddy's permission, he'd acquiesced. 

Mike nodded and strained slightly to free the edges of Freddy's chest piece. Once it was loose, he slipped it away and carefully laid it aside. Inside was an amalgamation of parts and wires that hid the majority of the bear's actual endoskeleton. Down in the bottom right, though, tucked inside its own wires, was Freddy’s music box. Even from a slight distance, Mike could see the fraying in one of its connections. 

"Wow," Vanessa breathed, staring with wide eyes. She blinked, then looked up at Freddy's face. "Does it hurt?" 

"Not even a little," Freddy responded, "Why, it doesn't even tickle! The benefit of being a robot, I suppose."

"Good news, too. Look here - carefully, not too close, see how the wire here is sticking out slightly, and how it kind of looks like…like messy hair?" Mike asked, waiting for her to nod, "it's called 'fraying.' And it's an easy fix. What I'll do is peel back some of this rubbery stuff, cut the wires a little bit, then reattach them." He looked at her. "You can watch, but you've gotta stay back, okay? Don't touch anything. Even I have to wear some special gloves -" he paused to grab them and showed her - "see? Can you promise?" 

"I promise," She said seriously, "I won't touch!" 

"Good," Mike said, nodding, "you can still help though. Hold these tools for me, please?" He smiled when she took them eagerly. "Alright old bear, let's get this music box back into working order."

It took a little more time than Mike had planned for, largely because he moved slow in order to let Vanessa see everything, step by step. And because he had to pause often to answer a new question. Still, like he'd said, it was a fairly easy process. Once the wires were reconnected, Mike put Freddy back together. 

"Alright, you should be all set. Give us a jingle, Freddy?" Mike asked, stepping back. He glanced at Vanessa and smiled at the way she held her breath while they waited. After a second, the twinkling tune of Toreador March began to play - sounding as good as ever. 

Vanessa giggled and clapped her hands together. "It's better!" She exclaimed, "I like this song!" 

"Me too," Mike said, ruffling her hair slightly and making her giggle again, which in turn made warmth blossom in his chest. 

"All better," Freddy rumbled in agreement. He got to his feet, then looked down at Vanessa. He laid his hand carefully on her head. "Thank you for all of your help, Vanessa. I doubt Mike could have done so well without it!" 

"You're welcome!" Vanessa exclaimed, beaming up at the bear. 

"I think you ought to get a special treat, as a thanks for your hard work," Freddy continued, looking at Mike, "Don't you think so, Mike?" Well, Mike couldn't very well say no, not when both Freddy and Vanessa were looking at him expectantly, the latter with wide, puppy dog eyes. 

"Well, I'm clearly outnumbered," Mike said in good humor, "I guess you're right, Freddy. Come on Ness," He held his hand out to her and waited for her to take it, "how's a cookie sound? I know where Chica keeps the best ones."

"Yes! I want a cookie!" Vanessa exclaimed, trying to immediately take off and pulling Mike's arm in the process. 

"Alright, alright, it's not going anywhere!" Mike said with a laugh, jogging slightly to keep up with her excitement. "C'mon Freddy, we've got a cookie to get!" He heard the bear follow behind them.

* * *

One late afternoon, a couple of months after Vanessa and her foster family had first started coming to the Arcade, a storm struck the area with such ferocity that customers were more or less stranded at the restaurant until it passed. It hammered the building, and shortly after the hail began, the power went out. It plunged the Arcade into darkness, startling adults and children alike. It was chaotic at first - Children scrambled to find their parents, the younger ones began to cry, and parents walked around aimlessly about trying to find their kids. 

All at once, the animatronics clicked their eyes on, bathing good portions of the Arcade in light. At the same time, Mike put his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle. It did the trick - the Arcade went still as most of the customers stopped to look at him. He moved until he was more or less illuminated and lifted a hand. 

"Alright, everyone. I know the dark is spooky, but there's no need to panic. If everyone could just please stay right where you are, our generator should be kicking on any second now." He paused as, if on cue, the generator sputtered into life. It didn't bring every light back up - that was too much of a strain - but enough came on to illuminate the main floor. There was a noticeable relief among everyone. "There, just like that. Kids, please get back to your parents. Parents, please go back to your tables so the kids know where to find you. It's a rough one out there, folks - you're all welcome to stay until the storm passes. We still have plenty of salad and warm pizza if anyone's hungry. That's on the house for today. We don't have lights for any shows, but the animatronics will be in free-roam, so hopefully everyone can still be entertained!" With that, the animatronics began to wander the floor - more for security than entertainment, but the customers didn't need to know that. 

Mike quickly realized that there were two individuals missing from the immediate room - Spring Bonnie, who apparently hadn't left his reading corner when the power went out, and Vanessa. When Mike was watching her, if she wasn't with him she was always with one of the animatronics - and he realized in that moment that she wasn't following any of the visible four around. Trying not to be too alarmed, yet, Mike made his way for the reading corner. Vanessa didn't spend a lot of time with the golden rabbit, but she wasn't averse to him - Mike wasn't sure why she'd be in the corner now, when it wasn't lit at all, but thinking of her being anywhere else threatened to send him into a panic. 

"Spring? Is Vanessa in here?" Mike asked as he ducked into the reading corner. Before Spring Bonnie had even gotten the chance to answer, Mike realized that she was. She was curled up tight in Spring Bonnie's arms, and the animatronic had her cradled to his chest. He was bouncing her up and down just slightly, and humming softly to her. His eyes were alight, bathing the area around them with light. Mike felt himself relax at the sight, glad to know she was safe. "Hey," He continued, softer as he walked further into the room, "what's the matter?"

"Vanessa here isn't fond of storms," Spring Bonnie said, looking towards Mike, "and she got extra scared when the lights went out. Luckily, she ended up running in here." 

"It did get kind of scary, didn't it?" Mike asked, walking up until he was standing in front of them, "I think lots of people got scared. You gonna be okay, kiddo?" He asked, peering a bit closer at Vanessa, who had her face tucked firmly against Spring Bonnie. At Mike's question, though, she turned slightly to look at him - eyes red and cheeks wet with tears. Then, to his surprise, she turned more and held out her arms to him. Mike froze in place, staring at her for a long second, until Spring Bonnie shifted his arms pointedly. Mike reached out and plucked Vanessa away, tucking her up into his shoulder. He held a little tighter when she snuggled in. 

"There, there, it's alright," Mike said, "I know it's scary, but it's just a storm. It'll be over soon, okay?" 

"I don't like it," Vanessa muttered into his neck. "it's loud. 'n the dark is scary."

"I know," Mike said, "but I promise it'll be okay. You're safe - none of us will let anything hurt you. Okay?" Vanessa sniffed, snuggled a little closer, and nodded. It would have to do for the moment. "Thanks Spring," Mike added, "I'm glad she found you."

"Me too," Spring Bonnie responded, "and of course I'm happy to help." His ears lifted slightly. "You should bounce her a little," He added, "kids really like that." Mike smiled lightly and took his advice, nodding. 

"Thanks buddy. Let's head out to the main room, we've gotta keep an eye on things while people are holding out here." Mike said, leaving the corner with Spring Bonnie trailing his steps. Mike spent the rest of the storm answering questions and helping guide folks around the Arcade - all while Vanessa stayed snuggled in his arms. At some point she even fell asleep, but still he carried her around - after all, he couldn’t risk laying her down somewhere only for her to wake up and get scared all over again. That’s what he told himself, anyway.

That afternoon, Mike found it especially difficult to hand Vanessa back over to her foster moms. The Arcade felt strangely empty, once they’d left.

* * *

"She really fits right in with them, doesn't she?" Fritz asked. He and Mike were standing at the edge of the affectionately named 'Pit' - a flat, round, padded area encircled by padded fencing, where children could play with Funtime Foxy. With her foster moms' permission, Mike, had decided to bring Vanessa to Circus Baby's for the day, instead of watching her at the Arcade. He'd wanted the other animatronics - and Fritz - to meet her in person. Currently, she was suited up - a helmet and padded suit - and playing with Funtime Foxy. Usually, playing with the fox meant children running around while Funtime Foxy pretended to chase after them.

But Vanessa had discovered something far more entertaining. She'd convinced Funtime Foxy to let her sit on their back, while Funtime Foxy galloped around on all fours. It wasn't something they wanted everyone who visited to emulate - but Circus Baby's was closed on Mondays, so there weren't any other kids to watch. And Vanessa was having a blast. Despite their excitable nature, Funtime Foxy knew to be careful with the kids - Vanessa was in good hands. 

"You see what I mean? Yeah, sure, kids love the animatronics. And most kids tend to humanize them, or see them as real animals rather than robots. But there's something special about the way she sees them. Like she just instinctively _knows_ that they're more than meets the eye," Mike said. 

"And it doesn't scare her in the least," Fritz added. He glanced at Mike. "She, uh, sort of reminds me of you, actually."

"Me? Hey, I'm always appropriately terrified of new animatronics," Mike argued. 

"Yeah, sure," Fritz said, "but, uh, you're always willing to see the good in them, too. Quicker than most people would, you know. Always ready and willing to give them a chance." Mike hummed lightly, and looked back towards the scene. He jerked slightly when Vanessa suddenly went flying forward, off of Funtime Foxy's back - but the fox was quick, and had caught Vanessa and stood, holding her securely, before Mike could so much as shout. 

"Careful!" Funtime Foxy said cheerfully, "you almost took a tumble!" Vanessa, not at all shaken, just giggled and wriggled until Funtime Foxy set her down. 

"Foxy!" She immediately exclaimed, "can't catch me!" She took off, and with a face-splitting grin, Funtime Foxy went back to all fours and chased after her. 

Mike let out a sigh and relaxed. He looked to the side, then blinked when he noticed Fritz staring at him. "What?" Mike asked. 

"You've really gotten attached, haven't you?" Fritz asked. 

"She's a good kid," Mike said, surprised at his own defensiveness, "who wouldn't?" 

"Sure, lots of people love cute kids," Fritz agreed, "but you, uh, you obviously care about her a lot. More than just some average kid."

"So? What are you getting at?" 

"Mike, have you considered what's going to happen if she gets transferred somewhere else? Or, you know, adopted?" Fritz asked. 

"Well, her foster moms are…great," Mike said, clutching the edge of the Pit tightly, "they wouldn't do anything that wasn't in her best interest."

"Don't give me that," Fritz said, grabbing Mike's shoulder in a firm grip, "what about _you_ , Mike? When you care about someone, you…dammit Mike. Look at me, look at Spring Bonnie. Look at what you did for us, no matter the cost. And this time - that's a kid. And whatever you try and tell me, you've taken her under your wing. You've let her right in to this family of yours - and you're going to be devastated if she has to leave. But if that comes to pass, there won't be anything you can do about it."

"What's your point?" Mike asked, pushing Fritz's hand away, "you want me to stop watching her? Push her away? Or are you just trying to depress me?" 

"I'm saying," Fritz said, his voice growing more gentle, "if you want to make sure she gets to stay, you're going to have to act sooner rather than later. Because if you lose her, you'll never forgive yourself."

Mike felt all of the aggression leave him. What exactly was he supposed to say to that? Uncertain, he simply went back to watching Vanessa and Funtime Foxy play. Something constricted and twisted in his chest, and he gripped the side of the Pit in a white knuckled hold. 

Awhile later, when Vanessa had finally exhausted herself from playing with Funtime Foxy, Mike removed the protective gear from her and let her wander off. It wasn't long, though, before she found Circus Baby. And for the first time that Mike had seen, Vanessa looked afraid of an animatronic. Mike turned slightly away from his conversation with Fritz in order to watch the interaction, but forced himself not to interfere. At least, not yet.

"Hello, Vanessa," Circus Baby said. She crouched down so that she was closer to Vanessa's level. "My name is Circus Baby - but you can just call me Baby. I'm very glad to meet you!" 

"Hi," Vanessa said, chewing on the side of her thumb in clear nervousness. "Why do you know my name?" 

"Mike and the others told me, of course," Baby said, her face shifting just slightly as she gave the girl a smile, "I've heard a lot about you, you know. The others have said you're their new favorite friend. And Mike told me you're very smart. He also told me to ask you something very important. Are you ready?" She paused, waited for the girl to nod, then continued, "Do you like ice cream, Vanessa?" 

Vanessa went very still for a second, and then even from a distance Mike could see excited energy flood back through her. She’d been holding herself back, curled in slightly on herself as if to distance herself from the animatronic. But at Baby’s question, she straightened, got closer, and bounced on the balls of her feet. 

"I love ice cream!" Vanessa said excitedly. 

"Oh really? Well, that's good to know!" Baby said, "what is your favorite flavor? Is it…hmm, is it _garlic_?" Baby asked, making Vanessa giggle. The little girl shook her head and pulled a face briefly before giggling again. "No? Well then, how about…dirty socks?!" 

"Noo!" Vanessa said, giggling even more, "ew! That's gross!" 

"Why, you are a picky little girl, aren't you?" Baby said, face splitting slightly as she smiled wide, "Tell me then, what is your favorite flavor?" 

"Chocolate, silly!" Vanessa said, grinning. 

"Oh, chocolate is it? I should have guessed! Well, then I have good news for you. I can make some chocolate ice cream just for you, right here! Would you like that?" Baby asked. 

"You can?" Vanessa asked, eyes going wide, "right now?!" 

"That's right," Baby said. She straightened up, and as she did, Mike looked at her and raised an eyebrow. 

"Just one scoop, Lizzy," He said, "she's just a little girl - give her too much and you'll be the one watching her while she bounces off the walls." 

"Of course Michael," Baby said in return. Mike turned his attention back to Fritz, keeping one ear open as Baby served Vanessa some of the chocolate ice cream the girl was so looking forward to. He rolled his eyes, but chose to ignore it when he heard Baby whisper conspiratorially. "It's a scoop and a half - but don't tell, okay?" 

"Kay," Vanessa giggled. Mike didn't stop them - but he did keep true to his promise. He let Baby watch over Vanessa through the afternoon, even when the little girl was, as suspected, especially hyper. Still, he couldn't help but think it'd been worth it later on. By the time he got Vanessa home, she was deeply asleep in the car seat. As he lifted her up to take her inside, her head lolled backwards. Mike steadied it with a hand, so she wouldn't strain her neck, and headed for Lisa and Roma's front door. The entire time, he replayed the conversation with Fritz over in his head.

* * *

Mike got auras, sometimes. They were useful little bits of _wrongness_ that usually clued him into the fact that he was on the verge of a migraine. Of course, that day had started perfectly normal, not an aura in sight. So he hadn't thought twice about agreeing to watch Vanessa for another day. And then, shortly before lunchtime, he'd been blind sided by a sudden ache behind his eyes. Within only a few minutes, it turned into a splitting migraine. 

And so, he had pawned Vanessa off to the animatronics, begging them to keep her safe and occupied. He had told Vanessa as much of the truth as he thought appropriate - that he was feeling ill, and very badly needed a nap. Luckily, that seemed to put her off following him - she hated naps. Satisfied that she'd be perfectly safe with the animatronics, Mike had retreated to his office, hoping to sleep the migraine off before Vanessa's foster moms came for her - which was usually about an hour and a half after closing. _He_ entrusted her care to the animatronics whole-heartedly, but he wasn’t sure Lisa or Roma would share the sentiment. So he set an alarm for shortly before their arrival, laid on his cot, and tossed and turned for awhile before finally dozing off.

Mike woke up some uncertain time later. As he groggily pushed himself up, his head gave a warning twinge - but the worst of the pain had, thankfully, abated. He was still well before his alarm though, which was odd, given that after a migraine he could usually sleep for hours, if undisturbed. 

He had just swung his legs over the side of the cot when he heard it. The sound of an older man talking filtered down the hallway - shortly followed by a garbled, robotic mess of words. Mike was up and running before he'd even really consciously recognized what he was doing. 

The scene in the main room was…an odd one. It was after closing, at least, so thankfully none of the other customers were witnessing what was happening. The man Mike had heard was Henry - who was currently behind the prize counter, hands up in a soothing gesture, trying to ward off the angry bear animatronic staring at him across the prize display. 

"Hey, hey!" Mike exclaimed, running over. He slipped behind the counter next to Henry, in order to look at Freddy - without being immediately within swinging range. "Freddy! It's just Henry - what the h-heck is going on?" Mike asked. In response, the black-eyed bear garbled at him. "No, use your words, Freddy!" Mike snapped back, "C'mon, calm down. It's _Henry_!" 

"Mike," Henry said, putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "don't be so harsh. I should have called ahead - I did not realize you were resting, nor that you had little Vanessa here."

"Little -" Mike sighed, his shoulders all at once relaxing as he understood, "Vanessa, of course." The animatronics were always especially protective when Mike was out of commission, but he hadn't even considered how much more they would be with Vanessa around. "Freddy? Where's Vanessa?" 

The bear, still agitated, didn't verbally answer. Instead he looked over at Pirate Cove and pointed. Tucked in with Foxy, of course. A safe and hidden place. Mike rubbed at his face, trying not to think of just how lucky Henry was and how awful the situation _could_ have ended up. After a second, he looked at Freddy again, trying to stay calmer. 

"Thank you for watching out for Vanessa," Mike said softly, "but it's alright. It's Henry - he'd never hurt her, or anyone. Besides, I'm here now. It's okay, Freddy. All's well. Please calm down." After a moment, his words began to work and Freddy's eyes slowly returned to their normal blue. Once he was back to himself, the bear gave Henry a look that was borderline contemptuous. 

"You should have left when you did not see Mike," Freddy rumbled, much to Mike's surprise. The bear, when not angry, was easy-going and on those (now) extremely rare occasions when he gave into his anger, he was always apologetic after. This was…new. 

"You're absolutely right," Henry agreed, "I'm sorry, Freddy. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"See that you do," Freddy retorted, before turning and walking off. Mike watched him, flabbergasted. 

"I think…he knew exactly what he was doing," Mike said, "he's usually much more apologetic after an episode."

"I am almost certain he did," Henry agreed, "largely because I am still, in fact, alive. He got close enough, Mike, he could have easily gotten me. I think he was just trying to make sure I didn't get near Vanessa. I'm sorry - he is right. I should have left, but she came up and said hi, it felt rude to ignore her." He frowned slightly, likely noticing the way Mike's blood drained from his face. "Oh, Mike, Spring Bonnie was right with her. And Freddy was there not seconds after," Henry said, soothingly, "had I actually had bad intentions, I would have been dead where I stood, long before I could have so much as touched her."

"She's fearless," Mike said quietly, "I watch her all the time - she'll talk to anyone. What if she talks to the wrong person? Henry, I've been having nightmares about this."

"That's perfectly normal," Henry said with a soft, if sad, smile, "but try not to worry so much. I know this place has a history, but things are different now. Between your watchful eye and the animatronics, this restaurant may very well be the safest place on earth for her."

Henry was right, Mike knew that. When his father had been at large, the animatronics either hadn't been possessed yet, or else were broken down entirely. Now, they were well equipped to protect any child in the Arcade - but they had bonded with Vanessa especially. They would protect her as surely as they protected Mike - if not even more. But Mike couldn't help it. He still worried. 

"Mike!" Startled, Mike looked towards Pirate Cove as Vanessa burst away from it, running for him. He caught her easily and swung her up into a hold, where she beamed at him. "Mike, did you see? Freddy's eyes went all," and she mimicked a noise not unlike roaring as she pulled her eyelids open, making a face that made Mike think more zombie than angry animatronic bear, but he got the point. 

"I did," Mike said, forcing a laugh, "You saw that too, huh?" As he asked, he looked over her head and narrowed his eyes slightly at the bear in question. Seeing any of the animatronics in their dangerous fury was not on Mike's 'OK for Vanessa' list. But without an ounce of shame, Freddy returned his look - even narrowing his own eyes in return. 

"Yeah! Til Spring made me go to the cove. Oh! Hi!" Vanessa continued in a single breath, looking at Henry, "I'm Vanessa! I mighta told you before. I forgot."

"I don’t think you did. It’s very nice to meet you, Vanessa," Henry said with a smile, "my name is Henry."

"Hi Henry!" Vanessa chirped again, before turning her attention back to Mike. "Are you feeling all better now?" She asked him. Well, in truth, the last five minutes or so had zapped what little energy Mike had gotten from his nap, but at least his headache remained at bay. So he smiled at her and booped her nose softly. 

"All better," He agreed, "thanks for being so good and staying with the animatronics. I'm sorry I didn't get to play with you much today."

"It's okay!" Vanessa responded, "you have to sleep when you're sick! That's the rule. Oh no!" She looked startled, "I forgot! Spring was reading me a story!" Mike chuckled, and set her back on the ground when she started to wiggle pointedly. 

"You'd better go finish up, then!" He said. 

"Yeah! Bye Henry! Bye Mike!" She waved at them both, then took off for the corner. "Springy! We gotta finish our story!" She called as she ducked behind the curtain. 

"Well," Mike said, turning to look at Henry, "now that we've had our scare for the night - did you need something?" 

"Only a little something," Henry answered, "mostly, I wanted to check in. And I had hoped to meet Vanessa, after hearing so much about her from you and Fritz.”

“She’s something else, isn’t she?” Mike asked.

“She sure is. Very polite, even if she is quite rambunctious. Speaking of Vanessa, I actually brought you something. Information, really.” Henry slipped a hand into his pocket and extracted a folded piece of paper, which he held out to Mike. Mike took it and opened it, finding a name, number, and email written down inside. 

"Uh, you trying to set me up on a blind date or something?" Mike asked, looking at Henry in confusion. 

"No," Henry said, smiling back at him, "that's a name I got from some of my best contacts. Give her a call sometime, Mike. She can help you." He paused, glanced towards the corner, then looked back to Mike. Then, he did something Mike had never seen - Henry threw him a legitimate, toothy grin. "She's an adoption lawyer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also have a Tumblr. You can follow me [there](http://pyroweasel.tumblr.com) for fic updates, personal updates, and lots of stupid memes.


	2. Chapter 1: Relics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twenty-three year old Vanessa Afton receives a special gift - the last remaining copy of a virtual reality game that a lawsuit aborted before it could even be released.

_**Hutch:** "A box or cage, typically with a wire mesh front, for keeping rabbits, ferrets, or other small domesticated animals."_

_**~18 Years Later~** _

Vanessa Afton pushed the door open to a little, bustling cafe, and breathed in deeply as she entered. The soothing scent of caffeine and baked goods flooded her senses, and she sighed in contentment. There was nothing quite as nice as a late Saturday morning with a cup of coffee, a good pastry, and good company. And, speaking of company, Ness spotted Luis and grinned, waving back at him as he gestured her over. 

Luis Cabrera was Ness's best friend. It wasn't a hard spot to fill, given that she didn't spend a whole lot of time with other people her own age, but she was sure he would have been even if she had been a social butterfly. They'd met freshman year of college, and had a number of basic computer classes together until their interests had split. Where Ness had gone for robotics, Luis had been interested more in the IT side of things. Still, they'd hung out regardless, and stayed in touch even after school. They'd both ended up more or less settling in their hometown of Hurricane, Utah, so they often spent time together. 

"Morning," Ness said as she plopped into her seat, "how's it going?" 

"Oh you know, going," Luis answered with an easy grin, "it felt like a nitro brew kind of morning - that cool?" 

"That's perfect," Ness agreed. It was an agreement among them - they knew each other well, so whoever got there first ordered drinks for both of them. They usually got it right. 

"So, look, I've brought something special today," Luis told her as he plopped his bag on top of the table, "but if you tell anyone I gave this to you, I'll deny it. Especially your Pop. I don't need him trying to sue me or something."

"You got a copy?" Ness asked, knowing immediately what it must be. A few months back, Michael Afton - her father - had learned of a company trying to create a Virtual Reality video game based off the Fazbear Entertainment franchises. Specifically, a  _ horror  _ game based off the worst of the rumors from the various locations. Rumors that, thanks to family knowledge, Ness knew were not entirely false. 

It had been Luis, in fact, who'd come to Mike and told him about it, after the smaller company Luis worked for had gotten roped into helping with the project. Mike - current CEO of Fazbear Entertainment - had swiftly stepped in and put a stop to it. Luis had confided in Ness and let her know that the game had been practically complete at that point. By court order, all copies of it - physical and digital - were meant to be destroyed. 

"I got a copy," Luis agreed. He dug it out of his bag and handed it to her. It was unassuming - just an external drive that didn't look like a video game at all. "The executables are all on there, should pretty much be plug and play. This  _ should  _ be a mostly complete version - or at least as complete as they could get. Went through like, two or three rounds of beta testing? Just keep that in mind, if you find any major bugs or anything."

"This is great," Ness said, "even if I can only play half of it, that's plenty for me. Thanks a ton Luis - and don't worry, I won't breathe a word. Uh, you're not going to get in trouble for this, are you?"

“Nah, they’ll never know. These were all supposed to be crushed, or whatever. They won’t miss one - they aren’t looking that hard, since they’re peeved and all. The only way I get in trouble is if your dad comes to throttle me for saving a piece of it. So, you know, don’t tell him and we should be Gucci,” he responded.

Ness had never begrudged her father his actions, of course. As he'd told her before, real lives had been ruined by the worst of Fazbear's, and it wasn't right to capitalize on that. Not to mention, of course, the company had tried to use Fazbear's IP without permission. On top of that, Ness didn't want those rumors resurfacing and giving a bad name to her animatronic family. She was glad that it'd all been stopped, in the end. That being said, Ness had been fascinated by the game from the second she'd heard about it. She loved the horror genre as a whole, and she thought it sounded like great fun to take an environment she knew intimately and turn it into something dark and ominous. Despite that, she'd accepted that she wouldn't get a chance to play the game - until Luis mentioned he could probably snag her a copy, if she wanted. 

"Cool, thanks again," Ness said, "you'll come over and play it sometime, right?" 

"Ehhh," Luis said, flopping his hand in a 'maybe' gesture. 

"Oh come on," Ness said, "I'll be right there - that kind of thing is way less scary if you're not alone. Besides, it's just a game."

"Sure it is," Luis agreed, "doesn't change the fact that it's probably scary as hell. You know I’m not one of those ‘love the fear adrenaline’ kind of people."

"I know," Ness said, giving him a grin, "just think about it okay? Ah, thank you," she paused to tell the waitress as their coffees were set in front of them. 

"Yeah, okay, I’ll think about it," Luis agreed, "anyway. Did you get that code working for the bot, yet…?" 

* * *

The Fazbear Family Arcade was a small and colorful building that had served as Ness's second home since the moment Mike had adopted her. No matter the stories of its past - which Ness knew only in vague detail anyway - it was nothing but a place of comfort for her. Not only for her, though - it was a source of fun and entertainment for a lot of Hurricane's kids, and throughout her life business had never been anything but good. It didn't seem to matter to the local populace that animatronic-based pizzeria chains were largely considered a thing of the past. Saturday was its peak business day, so when Ness pulled up that afternoon, she wasn't at all surprised to see the parking lot full of cars. 

Whenever Ness entered the Arcade, she always felt tension she didn't even know she was holding melt off her shoulders. Today was no different. She headed into the Arcade, easily and carefully dodging sprinting toddlers and parents with arms full of tickets and pizza. It was an hour or so past lunch time, which meant the main three - Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica - had recently started a show up, now that the kids had eaten. That was fine with Ness - she'd check in with them later. For now, she made her way to Pirate Cove and slipped behind the curtain. Surreptitiously, Foxy's open eye shifted her way and, seeing it was her, promptly lit up. 

"Ahoy lass!" Foxy said, keeping his voice quiet so as to not draw attention of customers beyond the curtain, "good to be seein' ye." 

"Ahoy captain," Ness answered with a smile. She reached over and scratched at his muzzle, smiling wider at the way his ears twitched up and down at the attention. "Good to see you too, how're things going today?" 

"Aye, good as can be expected, without Mikey around," Foxy answered, "he be alright, aye?" 

"Yup, he's just fine," Ness reassured him, "just trying to rest a headache off. He said he'd stop by later if he could, but also asked me to swing by and make sure things were fine."

"Good t' know. Well, we be holding steady just the same as any day. Though, iffin you be here, lass…"

"What'd they get on you this time?" Ness asked, laughing softly at the way Foxy's ears angled back slightly. He shifted and pointed a finger at a stain on his arm, right above his hook. Ness peered closer - it looked like cheese sauce from the Mac and cheese. "Looks uncomfortable," she said. 

"Aye, very. It's already startin' to harden. Think you can help an ol' sailor out, lass?" Foxy asked. 

"Aye, aye, captain," Ness responded with a brief salute, "let me go get some supplies, and I'll come back and take care of that for you."

"Much appreciated Nessie," the fox replied. 

Ness worked at cleaning Foxy's fur for a bit, chatting with the fox as she did. Their conversation was light and cheerful - mostly Foxy telling her all about the kids he’d interacted with so far that day, and the stories he had chosen to tell. Ness, of course, knew all of the stories he often repeated - the perks of knowing the animatronics on a level beyond anyone else except her father. She never tired of hearing them, though, because Foxy was never anything less than completely enthusiastic when he was reciting them. 

Once he was clean and they were talked out, Ness said her goodbye and headed out for the floor. She wandered for awhile, stopping occasionally to play a quick round of Cyclone for a few tickets, which she passed off to the nearest kid. Once the main three were tucked away behind the curtain for a break, she slipped back to talk to them, too. She repeated the reassurance that her father was fine, and made sure that they didn’t need any minor repairs or anything else. She chatted with them for a bit, made a similar check on Spring Bonnie - the corner was never closed, so she didn’t have the chance to talk with him quite as thoroughly as the others - and then finally left the Arcade and made her way home. 

Once she got to her apartment, Ness immediately set about getting the game loaded up. While it downloaded, she headed into her room. There, she paused at her dresser. Standing on top of it was a small, plush-sized endoskeleton robot. It was just wires and metals - a pair of oblong metal ears the only thing giving it much character. Ness reached out and picked the endoskeleton up. 

"Hey, Contessor," she greeted, smiling. There was no reaction - not that she'd expected one. Contessor was her own personal project, and her first foray into building a real, functional, animatronic-like robot. He was only an endoskeleton, and had no ability to move outside of when he was plugged into her computer and being fed commands. But she was fond of him, all the same, and had big plans for his future. For the moment, though, she placed him back in his spot, changed into her pajamas, and grabbed a bite to eat. 

Once she was all done, the game was loaded up and ready to play. Eager to spend the rest of the evening exploring it, Ness slipped on her headset, and jumped right in. 

* * *

Awhile later, Ness put a hand to her chest and took a deep breath, willing her heart to calm itself. She hadn't meant to knock her virtual hand against Freddy's wires, and the resulting jumpscare had been a shock. At least she'd managed to hunt down another coin and tape - strange as those tokens were. She'd have to go in and give the level another try, once she'd calmed down from the first. The parts and services levels were quite fun - even if they were badly simplified. She knew that accessing Freddy's internals wasn't as easy as pulling on his bow-tie. 

She'd jumped into the game with gusto, and the various choices immediately presented to her had given her pause. Deciding it was a good place to start, Ness had started out with the very first level, and had immediately recognized her father's office. The Arcade was in far better shape than the location of the game, of course, but it was still obviously meant to be the same place. 

She knew it was meant to be scary, and she had to admit it had its moments. The ambiance and atmosphere were designed top to bottom to put the player on edge and keep them there. Ness was sure to most players, the heavy footsteps and massive bodies of the animatronics would be terrifying, too. But while Ness felt the apprehension of jumpscares keenly, she couldn’t find the physical presence of the animatronics all that scary. Still, she had to admit they were well made. They weren't exact matches to the ones she knew, but they were close enough. 

Not long after she’d finished the first night of the first set of games, she’d spent some time playing around with the various buttons on the console. One had taken her on an interesting ride - a Freddy styled cart rolled along a straight line of tracks while a voice painted a story of a company desperate to dissuade exaggerated rumors.

That bit  _ had _ actually annoyed her. What right did this random company - who most assuredly  _ wasn’t  _ Fazbear Entertainment - have to pretend to be? Let alone to put words in Fazbear Entertainment's mouth? While Ness found the game fun, so far, there was no doubt in her mind that it would have caused serious issues for the current Fazbear company, had it been released - namely, issues for her father and uncle Fritz. It would have been even worse, if people had thought the game actually created by the company. 

But she’d tried to push it out of her mind. The game would never release to the world, and her own copy hadn’t provided any monetary gain to the wannabe company. There was no harm in enjoying what had been made. So, Ness had calmed herself and waited for the little ride to end.

And, she’d grabbed the strange tape she’d found at the end of it. It wasn’t the first one she’d found - that’d been sitting against a monitor in the first level. Ness wasn’t sure what, exactly, the tapes were for yet. But they were intriguing. Even more so when, in the same night, she found one laying in Chica’s garbage can, and another sitting under Freddy’s thigh. In addition, there were coins scattered throughout the levels, a few of which she’d picked up, too. After finding the second tape on the ride, Ness had been able to access a strange little room where she could actually  _ play  _ the tapes. The story they'd played out so far was…odd. A brief discussion on a bit of malicious code in the game, and then something about a lawsuit. Ness wasn't sure how the pieces fit together - but she supposed she would figure that out in time. 

Ness decided she was done with the game for the night - she'd give Freddy a try next time she played. She was just getting ready to turn the game off when she heard it. There was a new sound in the ambient atmosphere of the game - it was a deep and slightly distorted laugh that she was certain she'd never heard before. Ness turned first to her left, bracing herself for another jumpscare. But there was nothing there - and so she turned to the right, instead. 

"Shit!" she swore as she jumped violently, one of the controllers coming out of a hand and swinging helplessly off of her wrist. In the doorway to the right was a figure - one who'd definitely not been there earlier. It was difficult to make out - it appeared practically transparent, except for bits of static that danced along its form in shades of green and purple. She could tell it was a rabbit, of some sort, though it didn't look like any of the animatronics she knew. It didn't really look like an animatronic at all, actually. A pair of electric purple eyes stared at her, and she could just make out that the figure was moving - waving, in fact. At her. 

"Er, hi?" She said uncertainly, waving one of her transparent hands back. If the rabbit registered her speaking to it, it didn't respond. It didn't change at all, in fact, just kept waving at her with that same wide grin. "Weird…you some sort of secret?" She wasn't surprised when it didn't respond to her then, either. Ness looked towards the console, then flipped the strange switch that triggered the game into Nightmare mode. It didn't do much for the figure - it continued to stand there and wave, though its eyes seemed even more vibrant in the weird, warped environment. The first two tapes  _ had  _ mentioned some kind of figure - some kind of malicious code. The rabbit must have been what they were talking about. Curious, Ness decided to go and listen to the new tape she'd just found, to see if it had any more clues. 

It was considerably more spooky when she realized the strange rabbit figure followed her into the tape room. It stood a ways directly behind her, still occasionally laughing that deep, dark laugh. She waved at it again, craning her neck around to peer at it. But, once again, it ignored her attempts to interact. So, she did what she'd come to do - but the new tape didn't mention anything about the rabbit. Instead, it just rambled on for a few seconds about guillotine paper slicers - Ness wasn't sure where  _ that  _ story line was going, but she also wasn't sure she really wanted to know. 

"Well, uh. Bye for now, I guess," Ness told the rabbit as she returned to the main room. It wasn't waving anymore - instead it just stood there and stared right at her. Even from across the room, Ness felt creeped out. "Right," she said, "yeah. Bye, like I said." She watched the rabbit for a few seconds more before turning the game off, and finally putting it up for the night. 

It took Ness awhile to fall asleep. She kept thinking of the game, the rabbit, and the tapes. Was the rabbit actually some sort of accidental, malicious coding? It seemed unlikely. Malicious code wouldn't take some random, solidified figure like that - it'd show itself in glitches and bugs in the core game play itself. And although the figure didn't look like any Bonnie Ness had ever met, it was obviously loosely based off the character. No, she decided shortly before finally falling asleep, it had to be an easter egg. A bit of extra in the game, to keep you coming back for more. The tapes were in on it, too - they weren't actually left from the development team. The tapes, the coins, the rabbit - they were all just collectibles, leading to some hidden game lore. 

After all, there was nothing else they  _ could  _ be. 


	3. Chapter 2: Symptoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the game's existence, Vanessa continues to live her life as normal. Sure, there's an odd happening here and there - but it's not as if her life has ever been average.

Ness stuck her tongue out slightly as she reached, trying to get at the little screw that had fallen loose inside of Baby and was causing the animatronic no small amount of annoyance. Baby was waiting patiently while Ness shuffled around inside of her, trying to hunt the elusive metal down. If the human took a little extra time in order to ogle at the fascinating mechanics that made the animatronic up, well, Baby didn't seem to mind. 

"Ah-hah, here it is," Ness said as she snatched up the perpetrator. Carefully, she extracted her torso from the animatronic, then held up the screw so Baby could see it. "Problem solved, you shouldn't have any more trouble."

"Thank you, Ness," Baby said, her face splitting a bit as she smiled, "that was quite the annoyance. Now I won't rattle every time I move."

"No problem! I'm glad I could help," Ness said cheerfully. She pocketed the screw, and that's when it happened. The world suddenly swam in front of her, and she reached out quickly to grasp Baby's arm, keeping herself from falling. It was a brief feeling - just a second when the world danced in her eyes and vertigo threatened to knock her to her ass. 

"Are you alright?" Baby asked, reaching out with her other hand to steady the human, "Ness?" 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Ness said, blinking as her vision righted itself and the vertigo passed. "Just got a little dizzy for a second. Woo. Probably all that coffee this morning." She let out a breath, and when the dizziness didn't return, she gave Baby a thumbs up. "Just fine. Anyway, let me just get the ice cream machinery sanitized and you'll be all set."

"Maybe you should sit for a moment, first," Baby said, "or perhaps go and get something to eat. The ice cream machine can wait."

"Can't risk forgetting about it and some kid finding skin flakes or hair in their ice cream or something," Ness told her, "I'm fine Baby, really. I'll get something to eat once I finish up, okay?" 

"If you say so," Baby responded, though she didn't sound happy about it, "if you slip and electrocute yourself or something, though, I will have to say 'I told you so.'"

"That's only fair," Ness agreed with a smile, before getting back to work. No further episodes of random vertigo plagued her - at least, not for the rest of that day.

* * *

Ness chipped away at the VR game day by day, getting a little farther with each hour or so she got to play it. Between work during the week and spending time at either the Arcade or Circus Baby's, she didn't generally have a lot of time left over to play. But she donned her headset as often as she could manage. After that episode at Circus Baby’s, Ness started having similar mini episodes of vertigo after each time she played the game - but it wasn’t enough to stop her. After all, VR could be hard on the eyes - a little dizziness wasn’t all that strange. 

Ever since Ness's first sighting of it, the rabbit had stuck around the main room of the game, more or less. Sometimes it wasn't there when she looked - and honestly, it was almost more eerie when it was gone. There was no rhyme or reason to when or if it appeared - sometimes she'd look, expecting to find it gone, and get a startle when it was there. Most of the time it waved at her - sightless, without the ability to interact. Other times, though, it just stood there and stared at her, its form glitching and shimmering. Ness realized that it was changing, too. It wasn't anything drastic, but after collecting another couple of tapes, she realized the rabbit had definitely moved closer. It also seemed easier to see - less distorted static and more colors. 

Ness was absolutely fascinated by the ‘glitch.’ The tapes had taken a turn away from discussing the anomaly, instead going on to talk about a disturbed man and a company desperate to protect itself. That story was interesting, she guessed, but more than anything she wanted to know more about the rabbit - it was part of the reason she kept playing. She wanted to know  _ its _ story. She wanted to see what, exactly, would happen when she found all the tapes and coins. She knew the rabbit would get closer, clearer - but surely the game wouldn't end with just that, right? There had to be some sort of award for gathering all the collectables. 

The rabbit wasn't the only interesting thing in the game, though. Through the course of what'd she'd played so far, Ness had seen a number of familiar faces. Pretty much every animatronic she knew was featured in the game - but there were a handful more that she had never seen before, too. She'd started off playing the mini games in order, but after getting stuck on night four of the 'FNAF 3' set, she'd started jumping around a bit. She'd seen the strange shiny versions of the animatronics she knew, a small plush rabbit she'd never met, and a terrifying boy-shaped animatronic with a haunting laugh - but the one who made her the most curious was Spring Bonnie. 

It was the only sign of Spring Bonnie she'd seen in the game - but it was most definitely  _ not  _ the Spring Bonnie she knew. This one was withered and broken, with holes all over his body, a broken ear, and a halting, limping walk. It was also the only real threat in its subsection of games - but it was  _ difficult.  _ And the location it was in was a place Ness had never seen before - not that it meant much, given she knew there were at least two locations that had closed before she was even born. 

Ness had intended to keep the game to herself - sans Luis, of course - but she couldn’t help but be curious about all the animatronics she didn’t know. Undoubtedly the people who’d created the game had taken some creative liberty - but Ness wanted to know which strange animatronics had roots in the truth. The best person to ask was obviously her father - but he had been particularly offended by the game, and Ness didn’t want to risk it becoming a sore spot between them. 

Luckily, there was another set of folks who’d be able to give her the answers she wanted - the animatronics themselves. 

* * *

Ness visited the Arcade one evening, looking forward to being able to talk to the animatronics without having to sneak around customers. As she walked in, she wasn’t surprised to see her father already there - but she was a little alarmed to see him perched on top of a ladder, his upper half hovering over Freddy as he used both hands to work at something on the bear’s head. Ness hurried over to stand next to the ladder and reached out to carefully grab it. 

“Hey dad? If you’re going to be on a ladder, you should really be using a spotter or something,” she told him. Mike paused what he was doing and turned slightly to look down at her, giving her a slight grin. 

"Hey kiddo,” he said, “I didn’t know you were coming over tonight.” 

"Eh, it was kind of a spur of the moment decision," Ness responded, "thought I'd check in, had something I wanted to chat with Spring about."

"Something I should know?" Mike asked, turning his attention back to whatever he was fixing on Freddy. 

"Nah," Ness told him, "just a curiosity question. What're you doing up there?" 

"You would hardly believe it," Freddy rumbled at that, "My ear just up and stopped working, right in the middle of a set. It startled me so badly I very nearly stopped singing.” 

"It's nothing major," Mike added quickly, "just a loose connection. I'm almost done fixing it as we speak. Hey." He tapped Freddy lightly on the head with a finger. "I said  _ almost.  _ Don't try to move it yet."

"Just don't fall off the ladder, alright?" Ness asked, frowning slightly at her father when he looked down at her with a grin. It vanished when he realized she was serious - and legitimately worried. 

"I know my way around a ladder Nessie," Mike said, "don't worry. Besides, even if I fell, Freddy would catch me. Right, old bear?" 

"Depends on how much longer you take," Freddy rumbled in response, causing Mike to roll his eyes. Despite that, the banter did Ness feel better, and she laughed softly. 

"Alright. Be careful. And be nice, you two," Ness said. She carefully let go of the ladder - watching to be sure it didn't wobble - and then left them to it in order to make her way to Spring Bonnie's Reading Corner. She pushed the curtain aside and entered, lifting a hand in greeting as the golden rabbit turned in place to look at her. Ness never got tired of the way the animatronics perked up when one of the humans entered the room. It was a warm feeling to know that, no matter what, they were always looking forward to seeing her.

"Evening Springy," Ness said, "how's it going?" 

"Hey Nessie," Spring Bonnie responded, "I’m doing good - it was a good day today! How are you?" 

"Can't complain," Ness answered with a light smile, "what're you up to?" 

"Just picking up books," He said, "you know how kids are - the books kind of end up everywhere. But that's okay - gives me something to do! And as long as they have fun, that's all that matters."

"Definitely," Ness agreed. She began to wander the Corner, helping to pick up the books and re-shelve them. "Hey Spring?" She asked a while later, as they were finishing up, "can I ask you something? And if I do, can you do me a favor and keep it between us?" 

"Is everything okay?" Spring Bonnie asked immediately, looking at her. 

"Yeah!" She was quick to reassure him, "everything's fine. It's nothing major, it’s just - dad probably wouldn't be all that happy to hear about it. That's all." Spring Bonnie studied her for a second, one of his ears twitching up and down. 

"Can I promise to keep it between us, as long as I don't think it's harmful?" He asked after a second. 

"Of course," Ness agreed, “that’s more than fair. It’s not that big of a deal, I promise." 

"Okay, shoot then," He told her. 

"Okay. So. Do you remember that game that company was making? The one dad had to go to court over?" 

"Sure," Spring Bonnie agreed, "he was really angry about that. I don't blame him - it sounded pretty insensitive." Ness nodded in agreement, rubbing the back of her neck. 

"Definitely. Uh, but you know, I was curious, too. I've always heard vague references to stuff in the past, and I know it was serious. But...yeah. I was curious. So. Anyway. I managed to get my hands on a copy. I didn't pay for anything!" She said quickly at Spring Bonnie's surprised look, "it's just a copy that didn't get destroyed. No one benefited, it’s not going to be put on sale or anything."

"I can't say I totally understand why you’d want to play that thing," Spring Bonnie said, "but, okay. I mean, you know whatever they say or show isn't real anymore, right? None of us - we'd never want to hurt anyone."

"Of course I know that," Ness said, laying a hand on his arm, “I know you guys - I love you. It’s just a game, you don’t have to worry about it changing my opinion about any of you. But, um, I did want to ask about something in it. Unless you mind?" 

"No - of course I don't mind," Spring Bonnie responded, "I mean it's probably better if you ask, instead of just make assumptions, right?" 

"Right, okay. Well, so, so far I've seen Freddy and everyone in the game. There's even a level with Funtime Freddy! But you…well, you  _ are _ in it too. But you're different." She paused and frowned, " _ Its  _ different. It looks a lot like you, but broken down and not working right. And it’s alone, not in the same place as the others…Spring? I'm sorry, is this a rough topic?" She asked, watching the rabbit curiously. As she'd spoken, his ears had drifted further down his head, and she'd stopped when he'd looked away from her slightly. Worried that she'd upset him, she reached out for him. "I'm sorry," she said again, "we don't have to discuss it any more."

"It's…it's okay," Spring Bonnie said, "I don't really like to think about it, that’s all. That stuff, it's real - that was me, a long time ago. Something went wrong and I was possessed, I guess. By something really dark. It made me really dangerous - and I was in really bad shape. I almost...it doesn’t matter. Anyway. Your dad’s the one who got me out of there. Chased out the bad, brought me home, fixed me up, and I've been me ever since."

“Oh,” Ness said, “well, I much prefer you this way. It’s hard to compare that Spring Bonnie to the one who used to read me stories at nap time.” The rabbit’s ear twitched, and his face shifted into the sort of half-smile that was all the older animatronics could manage. 

“I prefer me this way too. I don’t think of him as me, not really. At least, I try really hard not to. He called himself Springtrap.” 

“That seems unnecessarily edgy,” was Ness’s immediate response. Spring Bonnie blinked, and even he looked surprised when he laughed. 

“I guess you’re right - it really was.” 

“So, there are some other strangers I’m curious about too,” Ness told him, deciding to change the subject. She’d learned as much as she needed to about withered golden rabbit. 

“Well, you’re welcome to ask me,” Spring Bonnie answered, “but you might want to try Freddy, instead. I know there were others - I’ve been told some stuff second hand. But unless it’s about Fredbear, Freddy or even the others would probably be able to tell you more.”

“Who’s Fredbear?” Ness asked curiously - that was a name she’d never heard before, and she couldn’t recall having seen that one in the game either. 

“An old friend,” Spring Bonnie responded, his voice a bit quieter, “He and I were the first, together. He looked a lot like Freddy, but bigger - and gold, like me. Ness? I wouldn’t ask anyone else about him. The other’s aren’t likely to know much, and that gets into a memory Mike prefers to avoid.”

“I won’t say a word. As for Fredbear, uh, I haven’t seen him in the game,” Ness told him, “at least, not yet. There are some levels still locked, so I’ll keep an eye out. And I’ll try and ask Freddy about those other strange ones. Spring? Thanks for sharing. I’m sorry if I’ve dredged up something nasty.”

“It’s alright,” Spring Bonnie responded, “it was a long time ago, and it’s always easier to share with you and Mike.” He paused, then brightened, his ears standing straight. “But if you want to make it up to me, we could read together for a bit!” 

“I’d love to,” Ness answered easily - how could she deny the rabbit that much? “I’ll even let you choose the book today.” That brightened the golden rabbit further, and he immediately went to the bookshelf to pick something out. They sat and read together for awhile, taking turns reading out loud from a couple of easy story books. Ness was still curious, but the darker reveal of Spring’s story had tempered her curiosity a bit. She still wanted to ask Freddy about the others - but that could wait for another time. Reading with Spring Bonnie was comfortable and familiar - and Ness was in no hurry to leave.

Eventually, though, she decided she ought to say a quick hi to the others, check on her dad, and then head home. With a yawn and a stretch, Ness got to her feet and gave Spring Bonnie a quick scratch behind his ear. She turned to head away and leave the rabbit to his corner, when she suddenly heard a very familiar, deep laugh. It was as clear as day - or at least as clear as it ever sounded in the game. Ness froze in place and looked around quickly, half expecting to spot the digital rabbit lurking in a nearby shadow. 

"Did you hear that?" She asked, looking to Spring Bonnie. The rabbit's ears perked up on his head and he looked around - listening for a second before looking to her again and shaking his head. Of course he hadn't heard anything - there wasn't anything to hear. Sure, it’d sounded just like it - but there was no way it could have been. It must have been the building settling, or the furnace kicking on, or just the way her blood had briefly rushed through her ears. 

Maybe she’d been playing the game too much.

* * *

“I have a better idea,” Luis told Ness, “you play, show me a couple of easy levels and how they work, and maybe I’ll think about trying one level.” 

“The surprise is half the fun,” Ness answered. Luis had come over to hang out for awhile - it had been Ness’s idea. She wanted to share the game with him - and had wanted to tell  _ someone  _ else about the cool easter egg she’d found. If she could manage to convince Luis to play a level or two, well, that would just be a bonus. 

“If you’re into that kind of thing,” Luis responded. Ness laughed softly and booted the game up, holding the headset in her hands. 

“Okay, okay,” she agreed, “I’ll play it first. I do want to get further, anyway. But hey, you decide you want to play, just let me know, okay?” 

“Sure, deal,” Luis said in such a way that made Ness assume he’d never take her up on that offer.

“I wanted to show you something before we get into any of the levels, though,” Ness told him. She slipped the headset on and waited for the game to load up. Once it finally did, she turned to the right - only to find the rabbit missing. "Aw damn," she said, "guess it's being shy today. Hold please." She began to flick back and forth from the prize counter to the main room. But even though she did it over and over and over again still, the rabbit didn't reappear. "That's weird," Ness said, still flicking back and forth. 

"What's weird?" Luis asked. 

"Well, it does hide sometimes, but usually it'd show itself again by now. I mean, honestly, it usually only takes maybe three back and forths."

"Huh, guess the RNG is working against you today," Luis said, "you sure you weren't imagining things?" 

"If I were imagining things, I'd probably still be seeing it," Ness answered, "no, it's definitely real. Here, let me show you some of the tapes." Ness flicked it over to nightmare mode and entered the tape room. She chose a tape at random and put it in, only to hear Luis gasp as soon as it began playing. 

"Elaine?" He asked. 

"Elaine?" Ness echoed. 

"Yeah, uh, we worked together once upon a time, really briefly. She was my contact at that company, though - she was a beta tester." 

"Was?" 

"Uh-huh," Luis said, "she, uh, she had some sort of strange…I dunno. Accident, I guess? Nothing physical, but what I heard through the grapevine is she had some sort of really bad mental break. I didn't pry, so I don’t know the details, but I know she's home bound now."

"That's…too bad," Ness settled on after a second. But they weren't quite the right words for what she was feeling. She couldn't even quite describe it herself, except that she suddenly felt ill at ease, and not just because the story was sad. Ness turned slightly in place to look behind her, but the rabbit was still nowhere to be found. The woman from the tapes had a name - and she was a real person. She'd been a beta tester, a part of the development team for the game. 

Had they decided to give her a speaking part, just for fun? With a cold and sudden shiver, Ness briefly wondered if there was more to the tapes - to the rabbit - than met the eye. 

No. It was a game. Ness had no idea how big the company had been, but if they’d been small, it would have made sense to try and save money by using their current employees as voice actors. She shook it off, returned to the main room - still no rabbit - and slipped the headset from her head. As soon as she did, she had to brace herself as a wave of dizziness swept through her. She closed her eyes and breathed out, widening her stance to steady herself. 

"Whoa, Ness, you alright?" Luis asked, slipping off the side of the bed and moving towards her. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ness said, "VR can just be a little disorienting sometimes." She shook her head, clearing the dizziness and the buzzing it'd brought to her ears. Then, she looked at Luis. "Uh, hey, sorry about your friend. I didn't know it was her voice or I would have, you know, warned you or something."

"It's alright," Luis said with a slight shrug, "it was just a surprise. We weren’t especially close or anything just, you know, it was a little startling to hear her again. I didn't know she was given a voice role in the game."

"It does seem a little strange, but, hey, maybe they just really liked her voice?" Ness said. 

"Yeah, maybe. It is a good bit of voice acting," Luis agreed, “But, anyway. Are you going to play some levels now, or what?”

“Sure you don’t want a go at it first?” Ness asked once more, accepting the change of subject. 

“Positive.”

Luis stayed for a few hours - Ness even managed to convince him to give the parts and services levels a try. She didn’t let him suffer for long - he was genuinely terrified, and seeing that took most of the fun out of it. Still, he gave it a try, and when he’d squeezed as much bravery from himself as he could manage, they put the game away. Ness showed Luis Contessor’s most updated walk cycle, they played a few rounds of go fish, and then just spent some time looking up internet memes and funny videos. Eventually they called it a night, and Luis headed home. Ness waited all of two minutes after he’d left to boot the VR game back up and hop back in. 

Sure enough, the rabbit was there, as if nothing strange had happened and it was just waiting for her to come back. The tape she’d hunted down while Luis was over had brought the rabbit slightly closer still. That, combined with its chosen stance - standing, staring, twitching - made it especially unnerving. 

"Oh sure, now you show up," Ness accused it, "not gone after all, huh? Where've you been hiding?" Of course, as always, the rabbit gave no response whatsoever to her words. Because it couldn't hear her. Because it was just part of the game.

It did laugh, though - and the dark sound followed her into her dreams that night. 


	4. Chapter 3: Polymerization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things just aren't quite right - but it's easier to see that when you're on the outside looking in.

That night, Ness had a recurring night terror that wouldn't leave her be. It woke her over and over again and, although she couldn't remember details, she could vaguely remember static and the color purple. After the fourth or fifth time of waking in a state of terror, she decided it was hardly worth trying again and just stayed up. The lack of sleep left her in a grumpy daze for the rest of the day - but one day on a small bit of sleep was bearable. It was just a normal part of being an adult. 

The following evening, Ness decided that she needed to forgo playing the game and do some work on Contessor. The little robot had taken a backseat to her new game for a few days now, and if she wanted to ever complete him, she had to put in the time. So when she got home, she went straight for her room, changed, and went to pick up the endoskeleton. She reached out to grasp him with both hands, but let out a yelp and let go when she got a harsh shock in return. It wasn't quite what it felt like to be electrocuted, but it'd definitely been stronger than the average static. Cautiously, Ness reached out and touched just a finger to Contessor - only to receive a much smaller zap. Feeling a bit braver, she grabbed him again - without any further issue. 

Chalking it up to a bit of dryness in the air, Ness shrugged the incident off and took the endoskeleton out to her computer. 

She played with the little robot for a long while, watching in excitement as he walked a few paces back and forth - all because wires were feeding code to him telling him to do so, but still, it was  _ something.  _ She messed with his code for awhile, and over all just tried to make some headway in her dream of him one day walking under the power of his own AI. 

It was getting late, though she'd lost track of time, when the computer screen suddenly went blurry. Ness blinked and rubbed at her eyes, leaning back a bit to put some distance between herself and the screen. When she lowered her hands and blinked again, the screen was not only still blurry, but was even shifting slightly in her vision. Deciding that was definitely a sign that it was time for a break, she pushed away from the desk and got to her feet - and immediately had to grab onto the desk as the world spun around her. 

"Jesus," she muttered to herself, "how long have I been staring at this for?" She snatched her phone up and, after struggling to focus on it for a minute, saw that it was one in the morning. Well, that explained it - it'd been just after six pm when she'd started. Given she'd barely slept the night before, it was no wonder she felt like shit now. "Sorry buddy," she told Contessor, disconnecting the endoskeleton and picking it up. "That's gonna have to be enough for the night. I have to work tomorrow." Of course, the little robot didn't complain. As Ness swung away from her desk, feeling a bit more steady on her feet, her eyes caught sight of the VR headset. She paused for a second, considering picking it up and playing a level or two. Then she shook her head - it was already way too late, and she was exhausted. Her vision still felt off, and her head was pounding. She very badly needed to go to bed. So she took Contessor and placed him back on his spot on the dresser and changed into her pajamas. 

She stood near her bed, frowning slightly as she looked down at it. She was really tired - she needed to sleep. She was already going to regret it come morning, so her best bet was to get in bed sooner rather than later. She couldn't function on two sleepless nights in a row. She didn't have time to play the game - that'd been the whole point of taking a break from it. 

So why was she so anxious to do just that? No matter that every logical part of her was telling her to go to bed, Ness turned and left her room and headed back to the computer. As she picked the headset up and slipped it on her face, she told herself sternly that she'd only play it for a few minutes. One level tops, win or lose. Then she'd go to bed, and she could play more the next evening. 

She ended up playing for an hour, only feeling satisfied enough to go to bed after managing to hunt down another tape.

* * *

By the time she got home the following afternoon, Ness was absolutely exhausted. She'd been entirely unable to focus all day - she'd just daydreamed about bed and had spent the rest of the time trying to fight off her pounding headache and dizziness. Once home, Ness made a beeline for the bathroom medicine cabinet, pausing at the sink as she felt a wave of nausea sweep over her. If this was what it was like not to sleep, she was going to make sure and get a solid ten hours every night for the rest of her life. 

Ness gripped the sink tightly on either side and stood there for a moment, her head bowed towards the faucet, trying to gain her bearings and all but begging the pain and dizziness to recede. Ness shifted slightly in place, and the dizziness rose up stronger than ever, so she tightened her grip and kept standing there. She breathed in and out harshly, just trying to will it all to pass. When she finally felt like she had a handle on herself and could move again, she looked up towards the mirrored medicine cabinet. 

A familiar pair of electrically bright purple eyes stared back at her. 

Ness screamed and threw herself back - she hit the wall behind her hard enough to send a fresh shock of pain to her head. Her startled scream cut to a cry and she doubled over, then slid to the ground, fighting back a fresh wave of nausea. She sat there for a long while, trying to bring her body back to some semblance of normalcy. After awhile, she felt slightly more in control and got shakily to her feet. She glanced to the mirror again - finding her own ashen face and dark eyes staring back at her. What she'd thought she'd seen the first time - the outline of a grinning rabbit, the vibrant purple eyes - was nowhere to be found. 

"Get a fucking grip, Ness," she muttered to herself, watching the mirror warily as she approached. Being afraid of her  _ mirror  _ made her look ridiculous, and with a soft self-deprecating growl, she ripped the medicine cabinet open and fished the ibuprofen out. She threw a few back with a quick gulp of water, then stood there as the sudden motion set off another wave of dizziness. Once it'd faded - at least a little - she made her way to her bed. She didn't even bother to change, barely managed to get the covers up and over her as she collapsed into it. She groaned as she rode another wave of dizziness. But with her eyes closed and her body still, it passed and left her slightly better off than she'd felt all day. Feeling a small sense of relief just from being in bed, Ness put what she'd seen in the mirror out of her mind. It was a while still before she managed to fall asleep - but eventually the ibuprofen kicked in and she all but passed out. 

Ness felt considerably better the next morning. She still had a bit of a dull headache, but it was beyond bearable and, she was sure, would vanish with another good night's sleep. When she got up from bed, the world stayed mostly steady. Considering she'd mostly just wanted to pass out, she hadn't had a lot of time to worry the day before - but it was still a relief to know that her symptoms had just been because of not sleeping and not indicative of a more severe illness.

She lounged about for the early half of the day - sipped on a steaming cup of coffee, curled up on her couch, and watched a few episodes of a show she'd been meaning to catch up on. It was a random medicine ad with a rabbit in the background that reminded her of what she'd seen the night before. It'd been the rabbit from the game, there was no doubt about that. She'd recognize the eyes and ears anywhere. 

It was the first time - and last, if she could manage it - Ness had ever really been  _ that  _ sleep deprived. And she  _ had _ been playing the game almost obsessively. So it wasn't really that strange to think that in a moment of exhaustion she'd imagined the rabbit. Weird, though, that she'd seen it as if it'd been a part of her. Speaking of the rabbit though, Ness's eyes drifted towards her computer and the headset connected to it. She stopped worrying about the apparition in the mirror, and started thinking instead of the game and what was left to do in it.

It wasn't long after that she was once again booting the game up. The levels left to beat had dwindled down to a handful, after all, and soon she'd be done with it entirely. 

* * *

"Oh, fuck!" Ness swore, violently jumping in place at the sudden screech and flashing teeth of a strange jumpscare. She'd been closer that time - she just knew it. A day or two had passed, and she had almost managed to finish the game off. There were two tapes remaining, and only one level left to go. It was a labyrinth of rooms and places - some familiar, others not. At first, it had felt completely random, and Ness had been uncertain if there even  _ was _ a real ending. But she was starting to get a feel for the pattern now - she just had to figure out how to open the closed off room. 

So far, she'd been jumpscared by an animatronic once, and had run out of time - being jumpscared again - twice. It would take her a few more rounds to really get a hang of it, and finally progress through the level. When the lights flicked on to a cheer, revealing cake and pizza and a 'happy birthday' banner, Ness gave a little cheer herself. 

"That was a lot harder than necessary," she said to herself, grabbing a piece of the virtual pizza and shoving it towards her mouth. She grabbed the tape sitting next to the pizza - that made fifteen. Only one more to go, and the game would finally be finished. She'd enjoyed it, but especially over the last day it had all but consumed her life. Ness had been drawn into playing it every free, waking moment - to the point that she'd nearly been late for work that very morning. 

Ness looked around the little room, spotting broken down versions of Chica, Bonnie, and even a Foxy head in a nearby corner. As she looked forward again, she jerked violently in place. The curtains in front of her had opened, and a very familiar rabbit - though it looked whole and realistic - was peaking around them at her. It waved, then gestured at her to follow as it vanished behind the curtain. 

Ness didn't know much about the rabbit, but what she did know said that anyone would be insane to follow after it. But it was part of the game, so she shoveled the rest of the pizza into her virtual mouth, then clicked to follow the rabbit to the stage. The screen went dark, as the narrative voice kicked in to welcome a faceless audience to a show. When the visuals faded back in, Ness found herself standing on the stage that she usually looked at from the main console. She looked around, and noticed a mic in her hand - which was when she realized that she had taken Freddy's place on stage. 

Or, she realized after a second, she'd been symbolically stuffed inside of Freddy. The realization made Ness feel uncomfortable - even a bit disturbed. It was interesting, and curiously dark - but it definitely crossed a line by a wide mile. Once again, Ness found herself glad the game never made it to release. She couldn’t imagine what the reaction would have been, if a family member of one of those missing children had seen the way the game made light of those old rumors.

As the music and the credits played, Ness noticed something else. She'd missed it at first, but now she could see it clear as day. The rabbit was  _ dancing  _ around the room, its movements smooth and silly as it completed pirouettes around the area. Its form was dark and shadowed, but it was clearly solid - there wasn't a lick of digital distortion anywhere on its outline. As the credits ended and the screen began to fade, Ness saw the rabbit stop in place and turn - even from the distance and with the shadows, Ness could tell it was looking at her. 

It lifted a hand and waved. 

* * *

Ness stood in the tape room, staring forward as the sixteenth recording ended. She reached out, and her hand hovered over the ‘return’ button. There was a dull roaring in her ears, and every time her heart beat, her head pounded with a resounding shot of pain. She felt sick to her stomach - she wanted to rip the headset off and turn the game off. Possibly forever. 

She wanted to go back to the main room, and see just what the woman in the tapes had meant. She wanted…multiple things. Conflicting things. She wondered - it was all just a game. The rabbit was just a fun easter egg - just an extra story. But her head hurt. She'd seen that image in the bathroom mirror. The rabbit hovered just behind her - staring, laughing. Putting the tapes together had brought the rabbit closer, made it clearer, because it was bringing it back to life. The tapes had said as much - they'd woven a story of the last beta tester trying to get rid of the anomaly and failing. There’d been a warning - leave the tapes separate, don’t collect them. 

Too bad that warning came fourteen tapes too late. Not that Ness would have listened to it, if she were honest with herself - she had to finish gathering the tapes to beat the game, after all. She had to help - Ness shook her head. 

This - all of this - it wasn't real. It  _ was  _ real. Ness was terrified. She was excited. She had no idea which feelings were real. Which feelings were hers. What a weird thought - they were all hers, of course. Ness took a breath and brought her hand down on the button, shifting her back to the main room. Nothing had changed - the rabbit stood next to her. It laughed. It was close enough to touch. So Ness reached out and touched it. Her virtual hand passed through its virtual body and she felt nothing. Because it wasn't real. Because it was her virtual hand and a virtual image and in the real world nothing was there. It wasn't real. 

Ness didn't know exactly why she did it. But she went to the prize counter - then back to the main room. She did it over and over again, trying to make something happen. She just didn't know what. She only knew what she'd been told - the rabbit would come for her. In some way, it would try to get out. It would try to escape through her, and she had to  let  stop it. Kill it, following the tape's directions. 

It happened suddenly. Ness went back to the main room, and immediately knew something was different. The world around her was tinted with a purple hue, and it vibrated and warped with distortion. The rabbit stood before her, just behind the monitor, no longer laughing at her side. It stood there and it stared at her, eternally grinning. And then it held its hand out to her. 

For just a second, Ness wanted to take its hand. But she didn't. Instead she let the panic sweep through her and tried to remember what the tapes had said. As the world distorted more around her, she quickly pressed the buttons, flipped the switch - sucked in a breath as her virtual vision flickered and glitched. When it cleared, she was standing behind the monitor. Something moved her head so that she looked down onto hands not her own - but the rabbit's. They were the same, it wasn't right, where had she - 

Ness's vision flickered again, and she was standing at the game over screen. When she looked down - doing so of her own volition - she saw her normal virtual hands. She'd done something wrong, this wasn't how it was meant to go. Somehow she knew that. Of course she knew that - she was playing a game. Game over screens meant that the player had done something wrong. Everyone knew that. 

When Ness returned once more to the main room, it was back to normal. The rabbit was standing at her side again, and it stared at her in a way that felt  _ expectant _ . Ness had to try again. Not for the first time that night, Ness considered shutting the game down and never playing it again. Not for the first time that night, she talked herself out of it. 

After all, she'd come so far. Why would she quit now, when she was so close to finding the answers? 

And so, Ness repeated the process - back and forth to and from the prize counter until, finally, the rabbit was standing in front of her again. Her breath came faster as she waited for it to hold its paw out to her. Once it was reaching for her, the world warping and shimmering around her, she tried again. She tapped the nonfunctional button, flipped the nightmare switch, and pressed the button on the side of the monitor. Immediately, her virtual vision cut out entirely. 

And then Ness's world imploded. She cried out as her headache multiplied in intensity, making it feel as if she might explode from the pain. She ripped the headset from her head, not even noticing when she dropped it unceremoniously to the floor. She brought her hands up and pressed them to her head, hoping the pressure might take some of the pain off. Nothing changed. With tears streaming down her face, Ness fell to her knees, cradling her head as the pain continued to build. It wouldn't stop - she was sure of that - it would just keep getting worse until her head split open. She gasped and cried as it built still further, and leaned forward until her head was pressed against the carpet. She couldn't even call for help - couldn't get anything out of her throat that wasn't drug out subconsciously, couldn't even dream of moving and - even if she could - wouldn't be able to control herself long enough to call an ambulance. If this was going to kill her, she was helpless to her fate. 

The unbearable pain and the feeling of carpet on her knees were the last things Ness felt before her word went dark. 


	5. Chapter 4: One Form

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ness meets Malhare - and very much wishes she didn't.

The next thing Ness knew she was awake and staring up at her ceiling. The pain that had brought her to her knees had faded into a sharp pulse in the background - not gone, but far more bearable. Carefully, she pushed herself up - she was laying flat on her back not far from her computer. The screen was full of abstract shapes and colors - Ness realized after a second that it was the result of the visual field clipping through random objects of the game. Her headset laid nearby - she'd tossed it down, hadn't she? With shaky hands, she reached out and picked it up, glad to see that it appeared intact. As she moved the headset, the visual field of the game shifted - but she ignored it. 

Ness was quietly crying as she got to her feet and stood. She might have slept -  _ might _ \- but it hadn’t made her feel any better at all. Sure, the pain had eased some, but she still felt sore and exhausted - a bit as if her body and mind were both moving through molasses. She laid the headset on her desk and then reached over and turned the computer off entirely. She didn't even bother to do it right, just held the button down until it went dark. Ness slipped her phone from the desk and looked - seven in the morning. She'd been passed out on her floor for hours. Talk about an unsatisfying end to the game. 

Given that it was Saturday, and her day off, Ness decided she would get into bed and sleep for awhile longer. Hopefully the rest of the pain would wear off and she'd feel more like a person after that. Ness went into her room and walked towards her bed, passing her mirror as she went. Just past it, she paused, realizing that something in the mirror hadn't been right. With a deep sense of dread, she backed up and looked at herself in its surface. And she was there. Ness could see herself, staring forward with shadowed, exhausted eyes. 

But she wasn't alone. 

Another form overlayed her own, and it was grinning widely, holding a finger to their shared mouths. It was distorted and unnatural, but she recognized it immediately. It was the grinning rabbit from the game - its ears were perched atop her own head, its smile was stretched wide over her own face. It was mostly transparent, so she could still see herself beneath its form, but it surrounded her entirely from head to toe. With one hand still  _ shushing  _ her -  _ them _ \- the rabbit lifted the other and waved. 

"Hi there, Vanessa!" The voice that spoke to her felt as if it were all around - it echoed with distortion, and Ness felt as if she were hearing it both in her ears and only in her head. Ness  _ wanted _ to scream - she wanted that very much. But the rabbit's  _ shushing  _ gesture was as real as a hand over her mouth. Ness couldn't make a peep. The rabbit tilted its head, and Ness watched as its form separated from her own. She followed its movements in the mirror, then turned slowly in place, eventually finding the rabbit really standing in front of her. In the mirror, it's form had been mostly transparent. Standing in front of her, though, it looked just like it had when she'd finished the game. It was solid - she could see even the smallest stitches along its seams. It was a strange, off-yellow color - almost like a worn out, dirty gold. Its eyes were a pale lavender - not currently glowing with the more familiar purple shine. It wore a vest and a bowtie - both were deep purple. It didn't look like an animatronic - it never had, always looking more like a human in a stitched together rabbit costume. 

"I know this must be  _ startling, _ " the rabbit continued - its plastered grin didn't move at all when it spoke, "but you don't have to be afraid of me. I'm your friend!" 

"My…friend?" Ness asked, not feeling reassured by that at all. 'Friend' was not the vibe she got from the rabbit. 

"That's right! And you and I? We're going to be pals for a very, very long time." It didn't actually shift or change, but Ness had the wild thought that the rabbit was somehow grinning even wider. "My name is Malhare!" It exclaimed, then paused, staring at her expectedly. When she didn't say anything, it tilted its head, causing one ear to flop slightly to the side. "Oh come on, nothing? I've spent ages coming up with that one, you know."

"It's…it's very clever," Ness said weakly, not wanting to tick the strange rabbit off. "I'm sorry, I don't…I just don't really understand," Ness said, "who  _ are  _ you? How did you get here? Why are you here?" 

"Well I just told you my name, silly girl," the rabbit said, and its tone was fond, "Weren't you paying any attention at all?  _ You  _ got me here. You put all my pieces back together and made me whole. You gave me a way out and so, here I am!" 

"The tapes?" Ness asked, still confused. It was if her brain had ground to a stop entirely - she couldn't fathom what was happening. The rabbit was real? It was in the real world with her? Speaking to her? Or was she dreaming? Hallucinating? How was she supposed to know? 

"The tapes," Malhare agreed, "the tapes, the game - all of it. All the pieces came together for you to free me from that hell scape, and you performed beautifully. I'm incredibly grateful."

"What - what do you want?" Ness asked, shaking her head slightly - her headache felt a little worse, a little stronger. 

"Exactly what I have," Malhare told her, "freedom!" 

"Are you a ghost?" 

"Boy, you're full of questions, aren't you?" was the rabbit's response. "That's fine - completely fine. I can see this is difficult for you to understand. I don't have a good answer for you, though." He paused and lifted both of his arms up in a shrug. "I suppose I am, in a way. The best I've been able to figure, I'm a sentient, haunted bit of code."

"But, now you're real? Out here?" 

"Yup," it - no, he, Ness realized with a start, definitely a he - said, popping the 'p.' "Well, in a way. I'm a part of  _ you  _ now, Nessie! This form just makes it so you can see me - it's easier to have a conversation this way. But really, you and I are sharing a body."

Ness stared at the rabbit, still trying to process this strange new reality. In the game, even when the rabbit was at his clearest, there had always been the slight distortion that came with looking through a VR headset. Now, though, he truly looked real. His edges were steady and his form was solid. Curiously, hesitantly, Ness stretched out her hand. Immediately, Malhare reached towards her in return and clasped her hand in his. 

He squeezed, and then he squeezed some more. He squeezed until it hurt, though only a little, and Ness felt it every second. 

"This is real," she whispered, her heart starting to pound in her ears. It was real - it had been real from the start. The strange rabbit - Malhare - had truly been a viral anomaly that had never been part of the game. Everything in the tapes - it had been real. And Ness had taken those tapes and put them together - even after the warning in the fourteenth. But if he were real, why was he there now? She'd followed the instructions - shouldn't that have killed the anomaly? "I thought - the button, the switch…" 

"Oh, that," Malhare said. He let go of her hand and waved his own dismissively. "You'll have to forgive my little trick, Nessie. But you humans always need a little guidance - without it, the transfer would have gone all wrong. Believe me, that would have been bad for both of us."

How could it have gone worse? 

"I…" Ness stammered. Her heart was still racing, and there was a heavy feeling of  _ regret  _ roiling in her mind. Malhare said he just wanted freedom - but Ness didn't believe that one bit. She still didn't fully understand, but she didn't have to in order to know that this was  _ bad.  _ "I don't want to do this," she continued, taking a half step back, "I don't - find someone else. Please. I don't want to do this."

"Sorry," Malhare said, not sounding sorry at all, "but it's way too late for that. That ship sailed, oh, somewhere around six tapes ago." He paused, watching her, then he shifted and held his hand out again. Ness grimaced further away from him and tucked her hands childishly beneath her arms. "You're still afraid of me?" Malhare asked, pulling his hand back. "That's alright - I can imagine that this is a bit terrifying. But you don't have to be scared. You and I - we're going to end up the best of friends. For now though, I can see you need some space. I'm nothing - " something lit behind his eyes, turning them into the vivid purple Ness was used to, "if not accommodating." And with that, he vanished. 

That only scared Ness more. 

"Where - where are you?" She asked, scanning her room around her, "where did you go?" 

"Don't worry," Malhare said - and though Ness couldn't see him, not even in the mirror, he sounded as if he were still right there with her. "I haven't gone anywhere, and I won't anytime soon. But this way, you can have some time to adjust."

"No...no, please leave me alone," Ness said, lifting her hands to press them to her head, "please go away."

"Calm down," Malhare said, his voice surprisingly smooth and almost calming, "take a breath. You're getting worked up for no good reason, and things will only feel worse if you fight me. You were going to take a bit of a nap, weren't you? Go on then - some rest will do you good."

Ness  _ was  _ still very tired - but she didn't want to just do what the rabbit said, either. She shook her head slightly and turned, intending to leave the room. 

"Come on Nessie," Malhare said, "aren't you  _ tired?  _ Get some sleep, and I promise you'll feel better when you wake."

"No," Ness said, "I'm not - I'm not tired. I don't want to sleep." She grimaced, her headache flaring up for a second in a sharp, stabbing pain. Then it settled back down, and she shivered softly when Malhare chuckled. The noise was low and soft, sending goosebumps up and down Ness's arms. 

"Suit yourself then," Malhare said. 

* * *

Ness was at a loss. Malhare had gone quiet, not even breathing, but Ness still knew he was there. His presence caused a strange, tingling fullness in her head - difficult to separate entirely from her headache, but still, she  _ knew  _ it was him. As she paced around her apartment, she refused to look at any screens or mirrors - too afraid that if she did, she'd see the rabbit looking back at her. 

Her stomach was in knots, and her thoughts were everywhere. She bounced between Malhare being a hallucination - meaning something was  _ seriously  _ wrong with her mental state - and him being real, which didn't make her feel much better. He seemed so absolutely impossible that she almost thought she  _ had  _ to be sick. 

Then again, there had long since been ghosts at Fazbear's. Ness had known that for a few years now. Sure, Malhare was unorthodox - Ness was pretty sure there weren't any other digital ghosts, and she didn't think any ghosts had ever possessed a  _ human  _ \- but the history still made his existence slightly less farfetched. 

Thinking about  _ what  _ he was doing made her heart race all over again. Malhare claimed he was her friend, but everything about him told Ness that 'friendship' was a lie. She could see the hints in the week prior, now. The dizzy spells, the headaches, the undeniable  _ need  _ to play the game again and again. Nothing about the rabbit had instilled good feelings, so far - Ness didn't believe for a second that he was benevolent.  _ What  _ exactly did he really want? And what would his desires mean for Ness? 

And what the hell could she do about it? That was where her thoughts began to tumble all over again. What or who Malhare was wasn't exactly the problem. The real problem was - what could Ness do to send him away? 

Awhile later, after spending time pacing around, Ness pulled her phone out to call her dad. He had plenty of experience with ghosts - surely he would know what to do. Ness sat on the edge of her bed and stared down at the screen of her phone for a long minute. Mike's picture was him half turned towards the camera, giving her a surprised but cheerful grin and thumbs up. Her father was so often tired - Ness relished in the moments where he looked so happy. With shaky hands, she pressed 'call.'

"Hello?" Mike answered a couple of rings in, his voice thick and groggy with sleep. Ness realized he must have stayed over at the Arcade the night before - her stomach twisted further with guilt. 

"Hey, dad," she said, "I'm sorry - I woke you up, uh, I can -" 

"Hey, no big," her dad interrupted, his voice clearer, "don't worry about it kid. You alright?" Ness didn't answer right away, finding the words caught in her throat. Her immediate reaction was to say 'yes.' But she wasn't, not really. How exactly was she supposed to explain, though? 

"Ness?" Her dad asked, all at once worried and alert, "What is it? Are you alright? Where are you?" 

"I'm at home," she said, "I -" still, she couldn't quite get the words out. Her stomach dropped further when her eyes went weird -  _ glitching  _ out, which was not a way she'd ever had to describe a bodily function before. When her vision steadied itself, there was Malhare. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and even though his face was stuck in one look, Ness could feel the warning in his stare. He didn't speak - he didn't have to. "Sorry," Ness finally said, "I think my phone's acting up. Um. I'm home, and I'm fine. I just…"

"I'm coming over," Mike said, and Ness clearly heard the sound of him getting up from bed. 

"No," Ness said quickly, "I mean, no, you don't have to make a trip. I know you're tired. I'm okay. I just…had a bad dream. About you. So, I wanted to call and check on you. That's all. I'm sorry for - for waking you."

"You can wake me anytime you need me," Mike said, his voice gentle, "and I'm alright. Just fine, in fact. It was a good night. Are you sure that was it, Nessie? Are you sure you're okay? Do I need to bring some brussel sprouts over?"

The sentence was so nonsensical that it caught Ness off guard, causing her to let out a legitimate bit of laughter. It was a sentence they'd established years ago - and had never used since. Saying yes to that question, or ever saying 'could you bring me some brussel sprouts' was a sure-fire way to let each other know that something was wrong, even if they couldn't actually  _ say  _ something was wrong. It was a good thing to have in place - but it had always been somewhat funny to Ness. 

"No," she answered, "I'm good, I don't need any brussel sprouts."

"Okay," Mike agreed, "as long as everything's alright. I'm good over here, too, just gonna pass out for awhile." He paused, and the silence stretched for a few seconds before he spoke again. "Let's grab dinner tonight, yeah? My treat. I won't even make you eat pizza at the Arcade."

"Okay," Ness said, not letting herself think of the answer, "Sure, dinner sounds great, dad." It was something to look forward to. Something she had to  _ go  _ to, or else risk setting off more alarm bells. It reassured her that there was something beyond all of  _ this.  _

"Great. You okay now, or do you want to chat for awhile longer? I can talk as much as you need me too."

"You should get back to sleep," Ness answered, "like I said, I - I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'll see you tonight, okay?" 

"Sounds good kiddo. Let me know if you need anything. Love you, Nessie."

"Love you too, Dad," Ness said, before hanging up the phone with a sigh. She stared down at her phone for a long time, ignoring the rabbit's pointed stare. She flipped her phone over and over in her hands, wondering why she hadn't said something _. Anything.  _ "I should have told him," she muttered to herself. 

"Believe me, you made the right choice," Malhare chimed in, causing Ness to jump violently. She looked at the rabbit before catching herself, and once they locked eyes she couldn't look away. "Look," Malhare continued, "here's how it goes. You tell your - dad? Cute. Anyway, you tell him what's happening. His first reaction is probably going to assume you're having some kind of mental break -" 

"He'd believe me," Ness argued. 

"Okay, fine," Malhare acquiesced, "say he does. How does that help you, exactly? I'm not just some boo-boo he can kiss away, you know. And let's get one thing straight, right now." He pushed off the wall, straightened, and walked towards her. Subconsciously, Ness flinched and pulled back as far as she could from him, even as he leaned over her. She felt his anger like a stab - her headache flared up in a bout of unrelenting pain, and she tried to breathe through it, wishing desperately that the rabbit would just  _ leave.  _

"I don't take kindly to people being in my way," Malhare said, his voice almost a whisper, "and I'll have the ability to take care of  _ that _ long before they can take care of  _ me. _ And if I were you, Vanessa, I'd keep that in mind when you're considering who to confide in."

And then he vanished again, leaving Vanessa leaned oddly back on her bed, breathing heavily. She'd broken out in a cold sweat, and her heart was racing so fast it hurt. When Malhare vanished, the worst of the pain in her head did too, but that same fuzzy, dull feeling remained. She slowly pushed herself back up to a straight sitting position, and then she reached up and wiped at the tears she hadn't even meant to cry. There was one question repeating over and over in her mind. 

What had she gotten herself into? 


	6. Chapter 5: Companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ness tries to adjust to life with Malhare - but it's difficult, when the rabbit is the one calling the shots.

Considering the way he'd come out swinging, Ness was surprised to find that, at least in those first few days, having Malhare around wasn't the devastating, life-destroying experience that she'd expected. She'd thought he'd prove to be a cruel and manipulative 'companion.' She'd expected to feel stronger symptoms - worse headaches, more dizziness, and others. She'd expected life to grind to a standstill, to feel miserable until he took whatever life he needed from her. 

As it turned out, though, Malhare wasn't especially intrusive at first. Sure, he was always there - she could feel the heaviness of his presence even when he was silent. Yes, some of the symptoms persisted - but they weren't really any worse than before. Ness didn't trust him, she didn't like him - and a part of her was still sure that things would take a turn for the worst, sooner or later. But Malhare's existence didn't completely derail her life. 

Ness mostly just tried to ignore Malhare and, surprisingly, it more or less worked. After the first few times he'd tried to rope her into conversation, only to be ignored, he'd backed off. He'd gone quiet. The rest of the weekend passed in relative ease - Ness had a nice dinner with her dad, got to play with Contessor some more, and come Monday she went to work, just as usual. Ness was a robotics technician for a hospital - which, given she wasn't long out of college, was an entry level position that was more maintenance work on HVAC systems than actual robotics work - but everyone started somewhere, and there were plenty of worse jobs. 

She'd worked retail for a few years - she knew. 

Most of the work day was spent jumping from one job to another. That meant a lot of time spent in the bowels of the hospital, where a series of hallways let maintenance workers and supply tractors move freely. That Monday morning, while traversing one of the basement hallways, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over Ness. She paused and leaned her hand against a nearby wall, where she let out a few deep breaths and rubbed at her eyes. When the spell passed in a burst of static, she wasn't especially surprised to see Malhare standing nearby. 

"This is where you work?" He asked, stepping along the hallway with light feet, "you can't possibly enjoy this. How are you not bored out of your mind?" 

Ness sighed lightly and pushed away from the wall. Her head still ached, but as suddenly as it'd come the dizziness had passed. She slipped past Malhare, keeping a wide berth, and continued down the hall. There were slaps against the floor as Malhare bounded after her. 

"You can't ignore me forever, you know," He told her, "I mean, you're doing a good job of it, but eventually we're gonna have a conversation, you and I." When Ness still didn't respond, didn't so much as look back, Malhare bounded ahead and came to a sudden stop right in front of her. Ness had no choice but to stop, or else collide with the rabbit. 

"I'm trying to work," she said shortly, "please just leave me be."

"We've already established that's not going to happen," Malhare told her, "so come _on,_ Nessie. Throw me a bone here."

"No," Ness answered as she moved past him again, goosebumps rising all over her body as their arms briefly brushed together. She hadn't gone far when the pain in her head suddenly flared into something piercing and fierce. She grimaced and reached out again for the wall, stopping as she fought against the urge to go to her knees and curl into a ball. 

"I'm tired of being ignored," Malhare said, his voice so close it was as if he were right at her side, "Frankly, it's rude, and I'm growing awfully bored. Look, here's the deal Vanessa - Vanny. Vanny, Vanny, Vanny," He paused, cackled, then continued, "We can do this the easy way - easy on you, I mean. Not so painful. More of a…collaboration, if you will. Or, we can do it the hard way. Which mostly just involves a lot more of _this_."

"Do _what_?!" Ness questioned snappishly as she pushed away from the wall. She turned to look at Malhare, but instead met the eyes of someone who'd been walking past and had stopped to stare at her in alarm. "S-Sorry," Ness muttered, putting a hand up to her ear, "Bluetooth." Without further explanation, she hurried away and ducked into a single bathroom down the hall. "Do what?" She asked again once she'd closed the door, quieter this time, "What are you trying to do?" Malhare had vanished again, but with a breath Ness turned towards the mirror, and wasn't surprised to see his outline overlapping her own. 

"Do you ever listen?" Malhare asked her, his ears twitching, "I already told you what I want. Freedom - it's a simple concept, really."

"You're lying," Ness accused him, "if that was all you wanted, you wouldn't be so - so - _insistent._ If it's all about freedom, then you're already free - congrats, you've made it. Move on and find someone else to bother."

"Except that's not how it works - if it were that easy, I'd already be gone, and you wouldn't have even known I was here," Malhare said, "Look, would you relax? I'm not _lying_ to you - I'm your pal!" 

"You're not," Ness snapped back, "and I don't believe you. _If_ you're not lying, then you're definitely not telling the whole truth, either."

"What does it matter?" Malhare asked her, "what would knowing the 'truth' do for you, Vanny? Nope - don't answer, 'cause I'll tell you. It'd do absolutely nothing. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere - go ahead, keep ignoring me if you want. Make it difficult on yourself - I'll just have to start making it more fun for me. But you might as well accept reality and just enjoy my company. Ignoring me won't deny me what I want - but it will mean a considerable bit of suffering for you. Give it a good, long thought, kiddo. Really consider how you want this to go." Without waiting for her to respond, his image in the mirror vanished. The Ness he left behind didn't look like someone having an easier time than imagined - she looked tired. 

She _felt_ tired. She hadn't felt tired when their conversation started, but she felt it now. It was a bone-weary, deep sort of tired. It reminded her of having the flu - all she wanted was to find a bed to curl up in and sleep for awhile. The piercing, pounding ache in her head didn't help. It was still there - not so sharp that she couldn't function, but bad enough it _was_ distracting. Bad enough to leave her stomach rolling, the backs of her eyes aching. 

But it always went away, and she was sure it would go away this time, too. She didn't try to continue their conversation. Instead, with a heavy sigh, she slipped from the bathroom and continued down the hall. Malhare or no, she had a job to do. She'd get to work, and continue to try and ignore both the pain and the rabbit in her head. 

It was after the tenth or so time she dropped one of her tools that day that Ness finally broke. With a light coat of tears in her eyes, she snatched the screwdriver up and turned towards the sensitive mechanics she was trying to work on. Her hands trembled as she decided to just give in. Just this once. She just needed a break, and once she felt more herself, she could go back to butting heads with her undesired castaway. 

"What do you want to talk about?" She muttered quietly to herself. There was an almost immediate easing of the pressure in her head at her question, and she could imagine that, if he were present, Malhare's ears would have perked up. 

"Well don't talk out loud, Vanny!" He exclaimed, "people might think you've lost your marbles!" 

Ness opened her mouth to complain, then snapped it shut. She meant to ask how, exactly, he wanted her to speak to him if she couldn't talk. But she didn't have to ask, as the rabbit continued on. 

"Just _think_ in my direction. Don't stress about it or overthink it, just do it. Like you're having an imaginary conversation in the shower or something. Just do that."

"Can you read my thoughts?" Ness blurted out before she could even try to 'think it' to him. Her heart rate kicked up a notch at the thought. When he didn't respond, a cold sweep of panic went through her. "Can you?!" 

"I'm not answering until you talk to me right," the rabbit retorted, "if you have to talk out loud everytime we speak, you're going to draw attention."

"Alright, alright," Ness said - but she tried to do as he'd said, instead of saying the words out loud, she thought them - tried to think them _at_ Malhare. It felt just like normal thought with a bit more effort - Ness wasn't even sure if she'd done it right, at first. 

"There you go," Malhare responded cheerfully, "and to answer your question, no, I can't read your mind. Not exactly. Our conscious minds overlap, so when you think _at_ me, it crosses that. Strong emotions cross it too. I'm not reading your every private thought or anything, though. I just get a little feel for the direction."

"I don't like that," Ness said, trying to split her focus back to her work, as well as her conversation. She cursed as she fumbled and dropped a small screw down into the machinery's innards. 

"Sorry, it's part of the package," Malhare hummed in reply, "don't worry though, I won't hold what you feel against you. Humans are emotional creatures, you can't help it. Anyway. Enough talk about all that, you'll learn plenty as time passes. I want to hear about what you're doing."

"You…want to hear about my work?" Ness asked, "weren't you just saying how boring it was?" 

"The _hallway_ was boring," Malhare said, "this is...well. It's not much better, but it might be more interesting if you walk me through it!" 

"You want me to _narrate_ my job to you?" 

"Yup!" 

It was an odd request, but Ness was tired of aching. So she shrugged and focused back on her work, mentally walking Malhare through what she was doing as she did. The rabbit had questions here and there, but overall he was an attentive listener. That, as it turned out, was often true. It made it hard to dislike talking to him. No matter how much she wanted to. 

Ness had intended to talk to him just that once - just long enough to get a break from the headache and the pressure. But it became easy, after that, to excuse talking to him again and again. Just for another day, she'd tell herself, I have to focus anyway, I can't afford to spend all day in pain. 

And eventually, Ness stopped making excuses at all. What did it matter, anyway? It didn't mean she trusted him any further than before - of course she didn't. But how much harm could talking to him do? He'd said it himself, after all - ignoring him didn't get rid of him either. Why make his existence harder on herself than she had to? 

* * *

The world around Ness was dark and cold and _blank_. She wasn't sure where she was, all she knew was she was alone and afraid and in grave danger. She needed help, and she'd get it, if she could just call out for it. Someone would come for her if she could just make them hear her. But she couldn't - everytime she opened her mouth to try and scream nothing came out - the sound caught in her throat and ripped at it and she just couldn't _scream._

"Vanessa," her name trailed through the air in a long, sing-song call. "Oh Vanny," the voice repeated, even that nickname catching and rolling on the wind. Ness didn't _want_ to find the owner of the voice - they were no safer to her. But what choice did she have? She was _so alone._ If she could find the one calling for her, she would at least have a companion. 

Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself and began to walk. And then she was running, sprinting, her heart pounding in her throat. She had to go faster - she had to find that voice before _it_ found her. And then Ness was on the ground, and how did she get there, and what was that thing with the wide smile that was leaning over her? She tried to scream for help again, but only a squeak came out. 

"Come _on_ , Vanny! Wakey wakey, eggs and - whatever," Ness shot awake with a small scream - going from dead asleep to sitting up in bed before she'd even caught up with herself. She lifted a hand to her chest and panted as her heart raced beneath it. She looked quickly around herself - only to clumsily scramble off of her bed in a panic at the sight of Malhare grinning at her. For a blessed second, in the clutches of a nightmare, she'd forgotten his existence. 

"What's your problem?" Malhare asked her, tilting his head until one ear flopped almost comically over. 

"Did you do that?" Ness asked him in return. 

"Do what?" 

"The nightmare!" 

Malhare's ear flipped back up, and he studied her quietly for a long second. Then he lifted both arms in a shrug. 

"Not on purpose," he told her, "but I'll admit, it's certainly possible that my _influence_ had something to do with it."

"Well, could you stop _influencing_ me in my sleep?" Ness snapped, all at once frustrated and angry. At her tone, Malhare's ears shifted back - not quite flattening on his head, but they weren't all that far from it. 

"I don't much care for your tone, Vanessa," He said. 

"And I don't much care for the nightmares!" Ness shot back, feeling particularly bold. Malhare didn't respond, and Ness didn't say anything further. They stood there and stared at each other for a long second. Ness could feel the tension in her head - a soft pulse of pain that threatened to grow. 

And then Malhare chuckled. 

"Sorry, Nessie, but there's nothing I can do about it," He said, "I already told you - I wasn't doing it on purpose. By the way, someone was knocking on your door - that's why I was waking you up in the first place."

"What?" Ness asked, completely caught off guard by the sudden change in subject. 

"Someone was knocking at your door," Malhare repeated, "knocked a few times, then stopped, and I thought you might wanna try and catch up to them before they left entirely."

Ness wasn't sure she wanted to change the subject yet - she was still frustrated at the thought that the rabbit was responsible for her nightmare. But he'd gotten angry - she was equally unsure if she wanted to risk getting him riled up more. Finally, Ness sighed and walked around her bed to the bedside table and her phone. She picked the phone up to see a message from Luis waiting on its screen. 

_Hey, you up?_

_Your dad wants some IT help - heading over there if you want a ride?_

_Tried the door, no answer - I'll hang out for a few just in case._

"It was Luis," Ness muttered, uncertain why she was bothering to tell the rabbit. She held her phone and hesitated for a minute. Her immediate reaction was to go with Luis - she hadn't been to the Arcade in a few days now, she was overdue for a visit. But there was always the weight of Malhare, now - how much did she want to bring him around her friends and family? 

What was the alternative, though? Isolating herself? She didn't want to do that either. Especially, again, not with Malhare around. She couldn't _tell_ them anything, but it was easier when she wasn't alone with the bunny. 

_Sorry, I'm awake now. I'll come - can you give me a few minutes to get ready?_ Ness texted back. 

_No worries, take your time._

"Who's Luis?" Malhare asked her as she sat her phone back on her bedside table. 

"He's my friend," Ness told him as she wandered her room to grab her clothes and other necessities. "A really good friend." She paused and frowned, then looked towards her bed - Malhare had dematerialized. With a sigh, she turned the conversation inward. 

"So do me a favor, and behave yourself, please. Don't make me look crazy in front of my friend," Ness added. 

"Hey, you'll only look as crazy as you let yourself," Malhare responded, "and you say that as if I make a habit of misbehaving." Ness decided it wasn't worth starting an actual argument. As she got ready, though, she made sure to feel her incredulity extra hard. 

* * *

"Oi, Ness, roll your window down, would you? I wanna feel the breeze!" Ness glanced back into the rear view mirror of Luis's car. Malhare was lounging on the back seats, his feet kicked up to spread his whole body across them. When Ness did as asked and rolled her window down, his ears vibrated slightly in the wind. He lifted a hand and began to wave it up and down, as if flying it through the air. The humor of the sight caught Ness off-guard, and she couldn't help but smile. 

When Malhare looked at her and his eyes lit up, she felt her humor fade in the face of his approval. She looked away from the mirror and back out the window, her cheek leaned heavily into her hand. 

"You alright?" Luis asked a couple of minutes later. Ness pulled her cheek off of her hand and looked at him. She used the movement to give her time, so her answer wasn't obviously rushed - or an obvious lie. 

"Yeah, why?" Ness responded. 

"You're just quiet," Luis told her, "which is fine! Just…unusual. Also, no offense, but you look kind of tired."

"I am kind of tired," Ness admitted. That much, at least, was the truth. "Work has been a little…stressful, lately. People calling off or quitting or, you know, whatever." That was less of the truth, but it was a good excuse. Luis nodded, accepting it without question. 

"I'm sorry," He said, "hopefully it eases up soon. Have you thought about moving on? You know your dad or Fritz would hire you on in a second."

"Yeah, I know," Ness agreed, "but I wanna gain some of that real-world experience. Besides, I don't necessarily want to work in the family restaurant, yet. I want to build my own."

"You want to build your own," Luis echoed at the same time, before chuckling. "I know. Speaking of, how's Contessor?" 

"Getting a little stronger every day," Ness said, smiling lightly at the thought, "I'm hopeful I can move him over to being controlled by my phone, soon."

"When you do, make sure you take a video of it," Luis said, "Baby's first steps." Ness laughed softly and leaned her cheek against her hand again, gaze moving back out the window. They fell into a more comfortable silence then, and for a few seconds Ness closed her eyes. She enjoyed the quiet and the rustling of the wind in her own face, felt a moment of real content, spirit lightened by the brief interaction. 

A song suddenly started up with a familiar upbeat, cheerful tone. Ness looked over to the radio, then to Luis. And then, she laughed, feeling something tight in her chest unravel a little further. 

_"Caramelldansen?"_ She asked, "you really have this on your _phone?_ " 

"Don't you judge me," Luis answered, grin widening, "sometimes you just want to listen to something silly." He glanced at her quickly, then lifted his hands up above his head, curling them in a parody of the dance. He rocked back and forth, sang along to the music, and Ness laughed harder. 

"Hands on the steering wheel, dork!" She said, shoving slightly at him. Luis laughed in turn, settled back in his seat, and wrapped one hand around the wheel. Ness grinned and looked back towards the road, beginning to tap her foot against the floor of the car in time with the music. She and Luis continued to chat idly as they drove the rest of the way, and for just a little while, Ness was able to forget about Malhare entirely. 


	7. Chapter 6: Nightmares and Nina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malhare's getting bolder - resulting in changes Ness is finding harder to hide from her family and friends. When it results in behavior Ness never expected, she begins to realize just how dire things are becoming.

Some kid's parents had paid for a big, private party on Sunday, which was how Ness ended up at the Arcade late the night before. She was helping the animatronics set up - which was, usually, a favorite past time of hers. Ness was tired, though, and that made helping difficult. Recently, she'd been having trouble sleeping - not for any _specific_ reason she could blame on certain otherworldly forces, but trouble nonetheless. She wasn't having nightmares - or, at least, she wasn't having many of them. She just had a hard time getting enough sleep. Either she woke up often, or had trouble falling asleep to begin with, or woke up far earlier than necessary without the ability to go back to sleep. It was wearing her out, and leaving her grumpy. Still, at least being around the animatronics helped. Especially when they were setting up for a party - despite it all, their good moods were contagious. 

It helped that Malhare was keeping to himself. He was moody, Ness could feel his annoyance stewing beneath the surface - but if he wasn't going to bring it up, neither was she. Worrying though it was, the quiet was a nice break. There was always that fuzzy hum in the background - the indication that he hadn't gone anywhere. But at least Ness didn't have to balance talking to him with doing other things. That improved the day in and of itself, and tired or not, Ness put in her best effort to help her family with their decorations.

"Ness, could you please go and see if Freddy has those streamers put together yet? I think he was set up in the kitchen," Chica asked from where she was currently prepping some balloons. Ness finished nailing in her current decoration, climbed down the ladder, and gave the chicken a brief salute. 

"Sure thing, Chica," Ness answered. She headed down the hall towards the kitchen, and peeked around the doorway into the room, hoping to find the bear. He could be difficult to track down if not where expected. Thankfully, Freddy was, in fact, in the kitchen - Ness could see his back to her as he methodically folded the paper for the streamers. "Hey, Freddy, nearly done with those?" Ness asked, "Chica's asking." Freddy stilled slightly at the sound of her voice and turned to face her. 

But what looked at her wasn't Freddy. It _looked_ like Freddy, sort of. But it was bigger - taller, wider - and it looked broken. Patches of its fur and body were missing entirely, and wires poked out where its left ear should be. Where Freddy had flat, endoskeleton teeth, this thing had more than a row of pointed fangs. Sharpened screws took the place of its fingers, and a handful of tiny versions of itself stuck out in various places on its body, gnashing their teeth as they jittered in place. 

Ness threw herself back out of the kitchen with a startled scream, stopping only when her back hit the wall behind her. When she saw the nightmarish Freddy move towards her, reaching out a hand, she pushed from the wall and took off around the corner and down the east hall. She reached her father's office in a couple of long strides, took a half second to lament the fact he wasn't there, and then hit the two big buttons near either door. The giant, metal doors fell with a crash and, panting, Ness backed up until her back was against the far wall. Just a moment or two later, she saw the horrible creature appear in the right window. It peered in at her and reached up to tap one, sharpened finger against the glass. 

"Go away!" Ness cried out, pressing even more against the wall, "please just leave me alone!" The creature jerked in place, and then it tilted its head - a gesture of curiosity Ness had seen the animatronics make many times. It was a human-like movement, and it gave Ness pause. Figuring the doors _were_ designed to keep animatronics out, Ness slipped a bit closer to the window, staring at the nightmarish vision. It stared back at her - and despite its horrible visage, didn't seem intent on attacking her. If anything, it almost looked _worried_.

Then, Ness saw it. There was something out of place about the animatronic's edges - they weren't solid. They flickered and vibrated slightly, and when Ness looked even closer, she realized the edges of the animatronic bear were all _static._

" _You're_ doing this," she snarled to herself, her terror all at once replaced with seething rage. Manic cackling filled her head, and immediately the visage fell - leaving just Freddy standing at the window. He was staring at Ness, his ears low, clearly worried out of his mind. Ness spun in place to look away from him, and also to hide her face so he wouldn't see the sight of her talking to herself. 

"Fuck you," she spat, "that was - what the hell was that?!" 

"Oh come on," Malhare responded, the grin evident in his voice, "that was _funny!_ Get a sense of humor, Vanny. It was just a little, harmless prank."

"Is it really _Freddy's_ attention you want to get?" Ness asked him, curling her fists at her sides, "he tells my dad everything. What do you think happens if he tells my dad about this?" 

"A whole lot of nothing," Malhare responded dismissively, "they all adore you, you know. You tell them you've been having a bit of trouble sleeping and just let a nightmare get into your head, they'll believe you and drop it. Go ahead and do it - you'll see I'm right."

"I should just tell them the truth," Ness retorted, emboldened by her anger, "what do you think of that?!" But rather than showing any annoyance or concern, Malhare just chuckled darkly. Ness grimaced and lifted a hand to her head when it pulsed with a sudden sharp pain. 

"I think," Malhare said, "that we've already had this discussion once. But oh sure, go ahead! Tell him all about me. Just remember, whatever consequences you face will be entirely your fault."

Like a train suddenly stopped in its tracks, Ness felt her anger drain away. It left something considerably more awful in its place - an understanding that he was right, and a reminder of what, exactly she'd gotten herself into. She didn't respond, but she didn't need to. Malhare laughed again. 

"That's what I thought," He said. Ness let her hand fall to her side and stood there for a few long seconds, trying to brace herself. She took a breath, and the staticy hum of Malhare's presence faded back into the background as Ness turned. Freddy was still there, watching her, though his ears shifted up a bit when he saw her look at him. Ness put the left door up first, then leaned over and put the right one up. Freddy didn't immediately move in, however. He simply moved closer to the doorway and looked around it at her. 

"Vanessa?" He asked, his baritone voice as soft and gentle as he could manage, "are you alright?" 

"Y-yeah," Ness responded, swallowing heavily and nodding. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, Freddy, I uh…" She paused, and sighed before continuing. "I haven't slept all that well in the last few days. And I've been having this recurring nightmare…I think it all just got the best of me. I'm sorry."

"You do not have to worry about my feelings," Freddy responded, "So long as you are okay. That is my biggest concern.” He paused, then continued, “This nightmare of yours must be quite awful, if it follows you while you're awake."

 _You have no idea,_ Ness thought as her chest squeezed tight. 

"Would you like to talk about it?" Freddy went on, "perhaps that might help chase it off for good. I am happy to listen - although, any of the others would be as well, if you still need some space from me."

"No," Ness said immediately, "No, Freddy, I don't need space from you. I'm sorry - I don't know what's wrong with my brain, but I know you would never hurt me. Of course I know that. And. Well. Maybe you're right, and maybe talking about it would help, but I don't really…want to. I'm sorry."

"Please stop apologizing," Freddy told her. He moved into the room, carefully, and when she didn't move away from him, he reached out and placed his hand softly on the top of her head. "It was only a thought, but I can understand not wanting to talk about it, either. Just know if you ever change your mind, we are all ears here. Perhaps you should try and catch up on some rest, though. You do look awfully tired, Nessie."

She was tired. So tired. But she didn't want to sleep, especially then. She was too afraid she'd wake up trapped in another nightmare, or to a hellish version of one of her friends leaning over her. So she shook her head slightly - only as much as the bear's paw would allow. 

"I think I'd just rather finish help setting up," Ness said, "can I help you with the rest of the streamers?" 

"Of course, I would be happy to have your help," Freddy rumbled, "and Chica, I am sure, will be happy to have them finished sooner. I would ask that you forgive me, however, for one last moment of sentimentality. You and your father are the most important things in this world to us. Please remember that, alright?" 

"Yeah, of course," Ness said. She wanted to be reassured by what he said - but it was difficult, with Malhare laughing in the background, amused by the sappiness of the moment. "You guys are everything to me, too," she added, trying not to grimace at the way that only made Malhare laugh harder. Hard enough that it filled Ness’s ears and head, shrinking the sounds of the world outside to nothing. 

And then, Freddy pulled her into a sudden hug. Ness went still for a second, but Freddy's embrace was warm and solid - a real life bear hug. The comfort of the feeling hit her solidly in the gut, so overwhelming for a second that she audibly gasped, and tears sprang to her eyes. Then, she wrapped her arms around as much of the bear as she could manage and hugged him back. The background noise of Ness’s bothersome traveler faded, just a bit. For a long moment, they stood there. It was as if Freddy knew, no matter what Ness said, the embrace was exactly what she needed. And right then, to Ness’s surprise, it was. 

* * *

Ness stared down at the plate in her hand with a ripple of annoyance. The plate was one of a stack - somehow, her dishes had gotten away from her. Much of the apartment had, actually, and she wasn't sure exactly how or even when that'd happened. She wasn't an obsessively clean person, but she kept her home tidy enough, usually. But she'd been putting off chores for a multitude of reasons - too tired, too stressed, just wanting to sleep so Malhare would hush up for awhile. But when she'd realized the dishes were piled so much in the sink she couldn't fit anymore in, she decided they needed to be done. 

A while later, her brooding washing was interrupted by the sudden sound of the doorbell. When she made her way over and peeked through the peephole, she saw her dad standing there with a plastic container of frosted cookies. Usually, it would have been a very welcome sight. In that moment, though, she felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. 

"I told you," Ness scolded mentally, "I _told_ you Freddy would say something. This is _your_ fault."

"I never said you were wrong," Malhare retorted, "I only said it didn't matter - and it doesn't. You tell him the same thing you told the bear, and it'll be fine." Ness wasn’t as sure - but the alternative wasn’t even worth considering. Preparing to play the part, Ness sighed lightly and straightened, trying to look more energetic than she felt. She opened the door, and at her father's warm greeting smile, even managed to smile back. She immediately moved back so the man could step in. 

"Hey dad," Ness said, shutting the door once he was in, "what's up?" 

"I just thought you could use some company," Mike answered, "and I was over at Circus Baby's anyway - is it a bad time? I know I didn't call ahead -" 

"No, it's fine," Ness reassured him, "especially since you brought cookies," she added, taking the box from him and peering into it. 

"Lofthouse, of course," Mike said with a grin, “I figured we could break into them with some tea, make a little meal out of it.”

There was an ulterior motive here, Ness could tell. Her dad did show up randomly sometimes, and it was anyone’s guess what he’d want to do when he did. But this time, he was trying to butter her up, first. Lofthouse were Ness’s favorite cookies, and the two of them had often had tea parties when she was little. Still, it sounded nice - so, ulterior motive or not, Ness agreed. 

A little while later, they were sitting across from each other at the table, sipping their tea and chatting about all sorts of random, unimportant topics. They talked about the animatronics, and the Arcade, and the shortages at Ness’s job. Eventually, the conversation faded, and Ness looked down into her cup. She swirled it around, feeling heaviness building in the quiet air. Malhare's general presence, or tension between the two humans? Ness couldn't tell. 

"Okay, so, look," Mike said, "The truth is, Freddy told me what happened the other day. When he mentioned it, Spring Bonnie also mentioned that you'd, you know, gotten your hands on that game."

Ness froze and looked at him with wide eyes, feeling her face heat up. She’d expected to talk about what had happened with Freddy - she had _not_ expected her father to bring up the game. Seeing her panicked look, her father was quick to give her a gentle smile that went a long way to making her feel a little calmer.

"I, yeah, I did. But, nobody got any money for it or anything." Ness told him, "I dunno. I know it's pretty awful that it exists at all, but I guess I was just…curious. I know there are all sorts of things you guys haven't told me, or have told me only a bit of, so I just wanted to see…I dunno. I just wanted to see."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Vanny," Malhare chimed in. Ness curled her fingers into the seat of her chair, trying her best not to visibly grimace. When he spoke, he materialized, and Ness felt him lay his elbow on her head and lean against her. She cleared her throat and shifted - trying to hide the way the sudden weight rested on her. 

"I'm not angry or anything. I kinda wish you'd mentioned it, but I get why you didn't, too. I don't understand the draw, but then again, I'm infinitely glad you don't have the memories of the place that I do. So, it's whatever. My bigger concern is really, you know, if you're having nightmares related to Freddy's…" He paused and frowned at her. "Nightmares so severe they follow you into the waking world, no less, maybe you should consider not playing it anymore."

"I'm not playing it anymore," Ness said honestly, "I haven't for a while now. It was interesting but, um, maybe a little more than I could handle." And wasn't that the understatement of the decade? "I don't know if it's related. I guess it could be." That one, a full lie. Of course it was related. Just not in the way her father thought. 

"Good. I think that's good." Mike tapped his fingers on the table. "Still, if your nightmares are making it so you can't even sleep…Hey, Ness? I'm not gonna pry, but, you know you can tell me anything, right? I'll even keep my mouth shut if all you need is a sympathetic ear. So, if there's anything else, anything besides the nightmares…" 

Ness was quiet, but only for a few seconds. Again, she was overcome with the desire to just say the words. It'd be quick, and easy - she'd just say them out loud and they'd be _out_ there, come what may. What if it turned out okay? What if her father _could_ help her? What if Malhare was all talk and no bite? It was possible - maybe that was why he was so against it. 

But maybe he wasn't. Maybe saying the words out loud would draw her dad, of all people, into whatever horror Malhare had planned. Maybe it'd paint a big target on the man's back - a lure for a threat he wouldn't even be able to see. Ness knew Malhare _could_ be all bluster - but she wasn't willing to risk the people she loved on a chance. 

"I appreciate that," Ness told Mike, somehow managing to throw him a small smile, "but, no, it's...nothing else. Just the nightmares. And I'm not sure what's causing them. Work stress, maybe. Like I said, shortages and all of that"

"Sure, I can see that," Mike said. He studied her for a second, then reached across the table and brushed a bit of her hair back from her face. He rested his knuckles there for a second as he watched her, then pulled his hand back. "You look tired," He told her, "you say it's nothing else and, well, I'm not here to push. But if there _is_ anything more, I hope…if not me, I hope you'll find someone to talk to. We're all here for you. And there's professional help out there, too. There's no reason for you to face anything alone."

If only he knew. 

"Just the nightmares," she muttered, leaning back in her seat, "they'll go away eventually, I'm sure."

“Maybe,” Malhare added cheerfully.

"Okay," Mike said, nodding, "Okay. But hey, if they don't, or they keep preventing you from sleeping, consider trying something, okay? Some melatonin, yoga, a therapist, hell, a doctor maybe - even dreams can be tempered."

"I'll keep it in mind," Ness said, "thanks, dad."

"Sure," Mike responded. Silence fell between them for a bit longer, and Ness turned her eyes back to her cup. Her grip on it tightened when Malhare reached over her and stuck a finger in the tea, then pulled it back as if to taste. Ness did her best not to grimace and sat the cup down - even if there hadn’t _actually_ been bunny-suit in her tea, she found herself put off by it anyway. 

"So. Um. Anything exciting going on this week?" Her dad asked after a bit. It was an obvious and awkward attempt at striking up a new conversation, but Ness was grateful for it. 

"Well, the Cabrera's invited me over for dinner on Wednesday," Ness told him, "so, I guess that'll be nice. Although, I was kinda thinking maybe I'd decline this time…"

"I don't think I've ever heard you say no to a dinner at their place," Mike said, frowning slightly at her, "why don't you want to go?" 

_Because there's a malicious spirit possessing me, and I'm afraid to take him around people,_ Ness thought to herself, her stomach sinking with despair, _Because it's hard enough being around you, or the animatronics, or Luis - but the idea of being around his family scares me shitless._ She felt the prickle of tears in her eyes and quickly brought up the tea for a drink, Malhare’s taste test forgotten. 

"Well, you know," she said, forcing her voice to sound steady as she sat the cup back down, "it's after work, and it's always hard to do anything when I'm tired after work. Especially since I haven't been sleeping well anyway."

"Well, it's up to you," Mike said. Ness looked towards him and they made eye contact. Despite her lies, there was something soft and understanding in her father’s smile. "But, when things are harder than usual, spending _more_ time with friends and family, well, I’ve found that's what helps you hold on."

* * *

The Cabrera's household was a warm, inviting place. That was always true, but was even more true when there was food cooking on the stove. Ness entered to find the household in full swing - Luis and his parents were bustling about the kitchen, finishing up dinner. Meanwhile, Luis’s little sister - Nina - ran about the house. She’d been told to clean up her toys, and it was clear the young girl was sort of trying to do so. But she was also easily distracted - and when Ness arrived, Nina was far more interested in showing Ness all of her new, favorite toys than she was in cleaning any of them up. Pushed from the kitchen with the reassurance that the Cabrera’s had dinner covered, Ness played around with Nina for awhile, and listened to the girl prattle on with good humor. 

“Vanessa, would you be willing to grab the good silverware from the cabinet?” Mrs. Cabrera called from the kitchen a while later. 

“I’ll go get Teddy!” Nina exclaimed before Ness could respond. Ness watched the girl dash upstairs and chuckled, getting to her feet. 

"Sure, of course," Ness responded to Mrs. Cabrera. She went over to the cabinet in question and did as asked - she stacked the plates up into a neat pile to be carried to the table. As she shut the cabinet and turned, Nina came suddenly flying past and Ness had to slam to a stop, nearly sending the plates tumbling on to the girl. They clattered ominously - but with a bit of quick handiwork from Ness, they stayed in their pile. Immediately realizing what had happened, the little girl skid to a halt and looked at Ness with wide eyes. 

"Sorry, Ness!" Nina said. Ness looked down towards the girl, fully intending on brushing the incident off, when her breath caught in her throat. A surge of hot-blooded anger pulsed through Ness, and for a second - a quick, awful second - she wanted to grab the little girl and shake her until Nina begged for it to stop. 

"Watch where you're going," Ness snapped, before she could help herself. It came without her even meaning to say it - later, she would wonder if _she_ had really said it at all. Ness and Nina both froze and stared at each other. Ness all at once felt like a grade A ass - especially when Nina's eyes welled and she took an uncertain step back from the woman. "Nina," Ness breathed out, feeling the anger vanish as quickly as it rose. "Nina, I'm so sorry," she continued. She crouched and set the pile aside and peered into the little girl's eyes. "That was really, awfully mean of me." Nina sniffed, and then promptly burst into tears, and something clutched tight in Ness's chest. Ness tried to reach out for the girl, but Nina took off before she could. Likely off to her room. Ness watched her go, feeling a little like crying herself. With a soft curse, she rubbed at her face with a hand. 

"Ness? What happened? What's wrong with Nina?" Luis asked as he walked up to her. Ness looked up at him, then got to her feet. She couldn't quite meet him in the eye, and she felt her shoulders up around her ears. 

"I almost ran into her," Ness admitted, "and I snapped at her. It was…harsh. I think I hurt her feelings."

Luis looked towards where his sister had taken off too, then looked back to Ness with a confused sort of frown. He didn't say anything for a few heartbeats. 

"You didn't drop anything on her, right?" He asked. Ness shook her head. At her response, he nodded, then let out a short laugh - though it sounded a little forced. "She'll get over it, then. I've snapped at her plenty of times - it happens. She'll be begging you to play something with her before the night's over." 

"Sure, yeah, you're probably right," Ness agreed after a second. Sure, it might be true that the girl would forgive Ness quickly - Ness was more concerned with if she would _deserve_ that forgiveness. 

"I don't think I've ever seen you snap at a kid before though, and god knows some of the ones at the Arcade are wild. Are you -" Before Luis could finish the question, Ness held her hand up. Just like any other time the topic came up, she felt her heart start to race. 

"Please don't ask if I'm okay," Ness interrupted, "I've heard it a lot recently and I'm…I'm just getting tired of answering it." _Of lying_ , is what she really wanted to say. "I'm low on sleep, I've been having these nightmares, I've already talked to my dad about this. And Freddy. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be short, or a downer. I'm just…tired. And I'm sorry about Nina, I’ll apologize again when she’s willing to talk to me.”

Luis looked taken aback by her proclamation, but he nodded all the same. For a second they stood there awkwardly, and Ness felt her face warm. It was embarrassing - she'd said all that before she could stop herself, and only now could she hear how bratty it sounded. She should be thankful that the people in her life cared enough about her to notice. To ask. 

Ness was just tired of the back and forth. She was tired of the flimsy lie slipping from her tongue, of the vague threats Malhare made anytime she so much as considered broaching the truth. 

"Well, want to help me set the table? Dinner's almost ready," Luis said, breaking the silence. 

"Of course," Ness answered, grateful for the change in subject. She picked the plates back up and followed after him. The rest of the night passed easily - just as Luis had said, by the time dinner was done, Nina seemed back to her usual, bubbly self, and didn't seem to hold any ill will towards Ness. The incident seemed completely forgotten - at least by everyone but Ness. 

Ness had known Nina for a chunk of the young girl’s life - she was excitable, yes, but she was sweet. She was just a typical kid and, as Luis had pointed out, far more well behaved than some of the kids Ness had met at the Arcade. What had happened had simply been an accident - Nina running about her own home, where she was generally safe to do so. So why on earth had it bothered Ness so much? Why had she been so angry? How could she have even _imagined_ hurting the girl, even for just a second? Ness would never - right? 

"I don't know why you're letting it bother you so much," Malhare chimed in later that night, as Ness laid in bed and stayed awake, unable to stop thinking about the whole thing. "Maybe if her parents controlled that little brat better, it never would have happened. She's lucky we _didn't_ drop anything on her - though frankly, she would have deserved it!" 

Just like that, everything became clear to Ness. In some ways, it was a relief - _she_ hadn't wanted to hurt Nina. Malhare had. _Ness_ hadn't snapped at the girl - Malhare had. 

Mostly, though, it just filled Ness with a deep sense of dread. Why _had_ Malhare reacted so strongly to such a minor incident? Why had his reaction been the desire to hurt? To hurt a _child_ , no less? She also had to wonder - had _Ness_ snapped because of his anger - or had the words been from him directly, using Ness's voice? If the latter, what did that mean for her? He'd never done that before - if he could now, did that mean he was growing stronger? 

Ness didn't know - she didn't know the answers to any of those questions. That was what was the most terrifying - she didn't know. Just how entangled had they become? 

And even if she somehow found a way to do so, was it too late to stop it?


	8. Chapter 7: Bridled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ness tracks down answers about the mysterious rabbit sharing her mind - and she learns the truth, just in time for things to change again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Domination, Body Snatching

Malhare had been created within a game born from the Fazbear franchise. Although his form was hardly pleasing to look at, there was no doubt someone had Spring Bonnie in mind when they created the suit. All of that told Ness that Malhare must be, in some way, connected to the restaurant's past. Something she knew _of,_ but not in detail beyond what little her family had ever told her and what she'd learned from the game. She knew it was dark, gruesome - but now, she wondered just how Malhare fit into the picture. He was, after all, admittedly both ghost and virus - and ghosts had to come from somewhere, right? 

And so, Ness set out to try and figure out what, exactly, he was all about. She hadn't necessarily felt the need to know before, but now she hoped it might give her some insight into his behavior. It was unlikely to be helpful - knowing didn't mean she'd find a way to get rid of him. Malhare sure didn't seem worried about it - he didn't protest to her search. In fact, that she was looking at all seemed to amuse him, somehow. It was almost as if he _wanted_ her to find out. Maybe that should have slowed her. 

But she wanted to know. 

So, there Ness was, late at night on a work night, looking up news stories from Fazbear's past. 

The first few were stories she knew, she had even lived two of them. There was an article about the passing of the previous Fazbear CEO - Henry. Her own adoption had made the news, given folks' interest in the owner of the Arcade. A story about Circus Baby's opening, a story about The Arcade opening. 

Then, stories she didn't know. 'FAZBEAR FRIGHTS BURNS DOWN!' and 'NEW FAZBEAR FRIGHTS ATTRACTION COMING SOON!' A story about another location closing - shortly after Henry purchased the company. And then, for a long time - nothing at all. At first, Ness thought there might not be other stories to find. That she'd managed to meet a dead end. 

"You just have to go back a bit further," Malhare told her. He was lounging on her couch - and up until then he'd just been watching her without saying anything. A quiet, smug observer. Ness didn't particularly want him to lead her to the answer - but she also knew he was right. She didn't respond to him, though, and he chuckled at her obstinance. 

Ness scanned further down the years. And, finally, she found more Fazbear stories. Another location had closed, years before. There was an article about the bite - her father's incident, though the article called him 'Jeremy.' There were articles outlining the complaints about the same location - bad smelling animatronics, suspicious crusts and liquids on their fur and around their eyes. 

Then, an article that caught her eye more than any of the others had. 'LOCAL MAN ARRESTED,' it read. The picture of the man in question - a thin, tired looking man that tickled some vague recollection in Ness - was front and center. He was looking at the camera - calm and collected, as if the handcuffs pulling his arms back were nothing but a minor annoyance. 

_Local man and Freddy's employee, Dave Miller, arrested under the suspicion of direct involvement in the disappearances of two local children. Miller is suspected to have donned a Freddy's mascot costume and lured the children away from their families - the current working theory on the childrens' disappearances. If charged, this could possibly connect Miller to the similar disappearances of five local children two years prior. For now, Miller has been arrested and faces trial._

Ness followed that train for a while. There were more than newspaper articles - she found old TV reports, magazine articles - it'd been a big event, apparently, at least at the local level. And, in the end, the evidence had been weak - after all, no bodies had ever been found. Dave Miller, suspected child killer, had walked free. And, apparently, promptly vanished - despite law enforcement's best efforts to keep tabs on him. Ness didn't know the man, but, knowing what she did, she didn't believe for a second that he'd been innocent. She looked at his picture again - the look invoked a familiar feeling in her. Smug. Calm. Not at all bothered by the threat of the world around him. 

Malhare couldn't _make_ that face, but the aura it gave off was the same. It was believed that the killer had lured the kids away with a mascot suit. Ness turned her chair around and looked over at Malhare. At her attention, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and tilted his head. Grinning wider - not an actual physical phenomenon, but something Ness could feel deep in her soul. 

A mascot suit. 

That described Malhare to a T. 

* * *

Ness knew the truth - but a part of her so stubbornly fought against it that she had to verify it for sure. She didn't want to believe she was possessed by the spirit of a murderer - so her mind made up all sorts of explanations and excuses as to why it might not be true. Malhare was no help - he didn’t comment on the situation, and when Ness tried to pry, his response was a spark of humor and nothing else. Not like she would have trusted what he had to say, anyway.

So, she had to go to the source. Or, _a_ source, anyway. Any one of the animatronics would know more - they would have been there, after all. There was one in particular, though, who would have been there from the start. The story of Springtrap - Spring Bonnie, possessed by something dark and malicious - was an awfully familiar story. That, combined with Malhare's appearance, told Ness that Spring Bonnie was her best bet.

She waited until evening, of course, and when she went to the Corner, she stood and watched Spring Bonnie for a while. When he finally noticed her watching him, he looked at her with perked ears and waited for her to speak. Ness didn't waste time on pleasantries. 

"Hey Spring," Ness said, "can we talk?" She paused, then interrupted before he could respond. "I don't think it's going to be a nice talk. So. It's okay if the answer is no." The rabbit studied her for a few long seconds, then straightened and nodded. 

"Of course we can," Spring Bonnie replied, "grab a beanbag, and join me on stage, yeah?" Ness nodded in agreement and did as he'd said - she pulled a beanbag up onto stage, where the rabbit had taken a seat. Feeling a sudden and desperate need for companionship, Ness plopped the beanbag right next to him. 

Ness sat on the beanbag and leaned against Spring Bonnie. Her heart was pounding in her throat, her stomach was flipping over and over - but still, the soft whirring and clicking and mechanical noises of Spring Bonnie's machinery was calming. Like animatronic breathing. They didn't speak again for a bit - Ness just tried to calm further, and Spring waited for her. Eventually, though, Ness spoke. 

"Springtrap," she said softly, "you told me a little about Springtrap, before." 

"Yes," Spring Bonnie agreed. 

"How did that happen to you? Why did it happen to _you_? Was it because you were one of the first? Or was it just chance? Or was there something…more?" 

Spring Bonnie didn't respond for a long few seconds. Before he finally did, there was a rush of air through his internal mechanics - a sigh, or as close as he could get. 

"So, I think it might make more sense if I tell you more of the story," He told her, "so...I will. Okay. Fredbear and I were the first, right? I told you that. But we were also different. They called us springlock suits - it's where my name comes from. They called us that, 'cause even though we were animatronics and performed on stage and stuff, the humans could also make room inside us, climb in, and walk around wearing us like, well, suits."

"How does that work?" Ness asked, surprised. The animatronics were full of mechanics and metallics, after all. Ness had a difficult time imagining how, exactly, one might push all of that away and be able to wear one of them. 

"Not very well," Spring Bonnie answered, "they had this hand crank device that shoved all of our internal parts out of the way. It wasn’t very stable, though. Anyway, so, Henry, actually, he would wear Fredbear. And…" He paused again and looked towards the wall as his ears drifted slightly down his head. "His partner wore me. They made us more fun and interactive and the kids loved it. They loved _us_ \- especially when we were being worn and were extra interactive. They'd follow us anywhere."

At that, Ness's stomach fell out from below her, and for a second her vision swarmed. Across the room, Malhare formed. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms and stared at her, the shadows stretching his grin wider. 

"There was a bad accident, with Fredbear," Spring Bonnie continued, "they decided it was because of the springlocks, and they decided to stop using us. Entirely - we weren't even allowed on stage any longer. Or, at least, those were supposed to be the rules. During the day, they'd wear these stupid, fur-lined suits, instead. The Spring Bonnie was an insult."

Ness bet it was. Compared to Spring's sleek fur and compact build, Malhare was a stitched-together, disturbing humanoid mess. Ness definitely preferred the animatronic. 

"But sometimes, my...the other human, he'd still wear me. Even during the day, though he was always careful not to be seen. He'd hide, call out to the kids…Sometimes it was me, sometimes it was the suit. It didn't…it didn't matter to the kids. They just saw their friend Spring Bonnie. Like I said." He paused, reached up and tugged an ear, "they'd follow me anywhere."

Like to a back room. Like to places they never should have gone with a stranger - but they didn't, did they? It was Spring Bonnie, not a stranger. He was their friend, a trusted bunny. How could they know what waited for them in the dark? 

Silence fell between them again. Spring Bonnie seemed lost in his memories - Ness could only stare at Malhare as bile rose in her throat and tears pricked at her eyes. 

"He came back," Spring Bonnie continued after a bit. Ness jumped - she'd forgotten the conversation had begun with the subject of Springtrap. It seemed unnecessary to continue, now - in truth, she'd gotten the answer she'd come for. The answer she'd dreaded. The secret as to why Malhare had reacted so violently to such a minor interaction with Nina. But she didn't dare interrupt - she wasn't sure she could. It was taking all of her effort not to lose her lunch there and then on Spring's stage.

"He came back, a long time later - I was trapped back in the safe room. I couldn't move. Mike had found me, by then, but the others were afraid of me. It was okay - I understood, and I was just happy to have a friend. But then _he_ came back. He hurt the others. And the kids…they were still here, then. They came out, and scared him, and chased him. And he climbed inside me. He thought of me like a suit of armor. But…it'd been a long time. Everything was rusty, and wet. It killed him, climbing into me. It killed him - but he stayed. He stayed. And he made me - we almost - he -” Spring Bonnie cut off, broken sounds jabbering from his voice box as though it had shorted out. 

"Hush," Ness said quietly, turning to embrace the golden rabbit. "Shh. Okay. It's alright Spring. You’re okay. I'm sorry." Spring Bonnie leaned into her embrace and fell quiet, while Ness's thoughts raced and tumbled.

Ness needed to process. Her heart was still racing, she still felt like vomiting. She wanted to be alone - wanted to flee the room. But instead, she held Spring Bonnie a little tighter. She held him until he calmed back down, because she had caused the distress in the first place. She held him, because it felt good to hold someone. And despite what she'd just learned, and the despair bubbling up inside, for a few minutes she was able to set it aside and focus on her friend. 

* * *

It was later, as Ness gripped her bathroom sink in both hands and avoided eye contact with the mirror that the world crashed down around her. Her vision shrunk to pinpoints - she couldn't breathe, but at the same time she was hyperventilating. She had never once fooled herself into believing Malhare was benevolent - but it was different to know she was housing a murderer.

A murderer of _children,_ no less. 

"You're going to pass out," Malhare said, materializing on the edge of the tub behind her. He crossed one leg over the other and folded his hands atop them. "And I don't think that floor's going to feel good on your noggin." 

"Leave me alone," Ness said. She didn't want to see him, didn't want to think about him. "Go away."

"You're getting awfully worked up over a brief conversation with a rabbit about a man who's been dead for years, and from whom I am separated by at least two degrees," Malhare said. 

"But you _are_ part of him," Ness accused, finally looking over at the rabbit through the mirror, "aren't you? Removed or whatever or not, you came from him. That's why, with Nina…if you'd been in control, you would have done it! You would have hurt her!" 

"Of course not," Malhare retorted, "her entire family wasn't even a whole room over!" The bile rose sudden and hot in Ness's throat, and she couldn't even try to make it to the toilet before she'd vomited. The unspoken caveat was there, hanging heavy over her head. If they'd been alone with the child, if her family cared less…

"What do you want from me?" Ness asked once the sensation had passed, her voice a whine she couldn't help. It wasn't the first time she'd asked, and she knew she couldn't actually trust his answer. But she asked all the same as images of injured children played in her imagination.

"You silly girl," Malhare said, his tone cheerful and somehow fond. He hopped up to his feet and paced behind her, laying his hands on her shoulders. 

Had he always been so much taller than her? 

"I already have what I want from you, Ness," He said, "I'm here, in reality, with a whole, human body that every day I learn a little bit more about. Come on kiddo," He giggled and tugged her back into a slight hug, one of his arms wrapping around her. Ness stared at their reflections in the mirror, dawning horror mixing with a desperate numbness. "Try to relax. There's no point in worrying about something you can't do anything about." He let her go again, ruffled her hair, and stepped back. "Just try to enjoy the ride."

And in that moment, Ness decided she wouldn't. It was finally, officially too much - she couldn't keep trying to do it alone. She knew it would put them in some sort of unidentified danger, but her dad and the animatronics were capable of protecting themselves. Far more than her, clearly. And she needed their help, before it was completely too late to be helped at all. Without another word, Ness left the bathroom and made a beeline for her phone. She had it in her hands, she had a blank message to her dad pulled up. It was as she moved to type, however, that it happened. 

All at once, her hands went still and refused to budge. Ness stared down at them in growing horror as they slowly placed the phone back onto the counter. Ness could feel the sensations of movement, the feelings of her muscles contracting and shifting as if listening to her brain's orders, just as usual. But there was a disconnect there, too. _She_ was not telling her brain to tell her hands to move. 

Ness sucked in a deep, shaky breath as the sensation spread. It slowed when she fought against it - and she could tell some of the movements took a lot of effort. Malhare moved her hands with little resistance, but the steps over to the counter were slow and staggered. He said nothing as Ness fought every move - only forged his way forward, showing her with every small step that despite her fight, _he_ was winning. 

Malhare reached out with her hands and grasped a knife from the knife block. All he did with it was pull it out and lay it on the counter in front of them - but it was enough. The point was clear. Malhare had gone from an annoyance to a puppeteer, which meant Ness had been right - his strength was growing. The threat was not so vague, now. _She_ was the threat - or, at least, her body was. 

"Call for help, if you want," Malhare told her, his voice soft, hardly bothered. "I won't even stop you this time. Just know that by the time they get here, I will have mastered this plenty enough to use this knife. How fast can your dad move, do you think, especially when he hardly expects his own daughter to attack him?" Malhare chuckled, and all at once his hold over Ness fell. She hadn't even realized how strong it had been, not until she collapsed to the ground, the physical force supporting her vanishing and leaving her feeling boneless. Ness gasped and laid a hand on her chest, the relief of the return of her motor movements dampened by her exhaustion - and by what had just happened. 

"Your move, Vanny," Malhare said with a grin in his voice. Ness sat there for a long minute, her mind racing and thinking nothing all at once. She brought her hands up to look at them, to watch how they trembled as she tried to understand just what had happened. What was _happening._

"I won't tell them," Ness answered, her voice cracking as she spoke. And she knew it to be true. A vague threat from an unseen, ghostly entity had been one thing. But Ness knew Malhare was telling the truth. He'd gone from no indication of any control to walking her a few steps across her kitchen and picking up a knife. If she said anything, he'd use her body to hurt or kill her family. And Ness couldn't let that happen. 

Malhare laughed softly in Ness's mind, and she felt the sensation of him ruffling her hair again. 

"Good answer."


	9. Chapter 8: Weep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Blood, (sort of) on screen character injury. Please keep in mind the over all TW's on this work as a whole! From here on out, many of them will be applicable for most chapters.

Malhare continued to grow stronger - and that growth, once suspected but subtle, was now clear and obvious. He took great pleasure in showing his newfound strength off. He had been ecstatic when, not two days after the first incident, he wrested control from Ness and walked them around the house for an hour. His stride was sure and steady - nothing like the halting, stumbling steps he'd taken in the kitchen that first evening. 

Ness fought him all the while, not willing to give up control of her own body, desperate to prove to him that she wasn't going down without a fight. Eventually he relented - and he did _relent_ , Ness knew she hadn't won - and let her take control back. And when she did, Ness found herself exhausted. She'd thought his presence had been tiring before, but as it turned out, she hadn't had any idea what that really meant. When he pulled away and left her in control, she could hardly walk. She made it to her couch, laid down, and slept for a few hours. 

She still felt heavy and groggy when she woke, later. Her headache was constant - she was often dizzy. All the symptoms she'd experienced when he'd first begun to merge with her came back full force. 

Once Malhare had established his control over Ness's motor functions, he showed it off as often as he wanted. Ness could be doing anything, even tiny tasks, and he'd slip into place without warning, seamlessly taking over whatever she'd just been doing. It'd only be seamless for a minute, until she rallied a fight against him - but it always took her a minute to catch up. Enough time for his hold to be sure. 

She couldn't _not_ fight him. The stakes were too high - but she wasn't fooling herself, either. After all, her fighting may slow him, or make their body hesitate - but in the end, she never won. She only grew more and more tired. 

It came to a head one day when Malhare learned a brand new trick. The night before, Ness went to bed as normal, albeit with the usual, heavy sense of dread that followed her everywhere. It took her awhile to fall asleep, but for the first time in ages, she stayed asleep once there. Got a full night’s sleep, even. It might have been a relief, had it not come with a major consequence.

The next time Ness was aware of herself, the sunlight was shining into her eyes from her kitchen window. She was sitting at the table, a half-eaten serving of eggs and glass of milk in front of her. For a long minute, she was dazed and confused. She could remember going to bed - but she didn't remember waking up, let alone making herself breakfast. At first, she wondered if she'd just been that out of it - but then, she realized the obvious answer. 

"Good morning, sleepy-head! Wow, you sure were tired, weren't you?" Malhare asked, as if summoned by the very thought of him. Ness looked around her - but it seemed he didn't feel like materializing just then. 

"You took control. While I was _sleeping,_ " Ness accused. Or, at least, she tried to. Even in her head, the words sounded like little more than a slightly aggressive fact. The corresponding emotions were weak, even - she should be horrified, she knew. All she really felt, though, was a numb sort of acceptance of this new normal - it wasn't even much of a surprise that he'd managed to control her entirely. 

"Oh, it was just for a little while. Don't even worry about it! I was bored, but you clearly needed your rest. I even got some food into you, since you don't seem to do that much yourself anymore," He said. 

"If I'm not hungry, I don't eat," she retorted. 

"Well that's fine and all, but it seems like you're hardly ever hungry these days. But don't worry, I took care of it - look! Don't you feel better? After rest and food?" He wasn't wrong. Physically, she did feel better - a little less clouded, a little less tired, the headache that usually dogged her steps had faded a bit. But Ness very much doubted it had anything to do with sleep or food. 

"So Vanny, tell me, how do you feel about arts and crafts?" Malhare continued on, ignoring her annoyance. He continued on still, not waiting for her response. "Because I think they can be very fun - and I've found a little project we can work on."

"Is your insanity contagious?" Ness muttered, picking up her fork and poking at the eggs on her plate. Malhare didn't take offense - in fact he laughed, hard, as if her quip had been hilarious. 

"C'mon, I'd think you'd be thrilled at such an innocent activity," Malhare said, "here, look." He slipped into control so suddenly that it took Ness by surprise. By the time she'd caught up enough to fight him, he'd already used her hand to pull up an article on her phone. He left her there, pulling back as quickly as he'd taken control. Ness frowned, but looked at the article anyway. 

It was about the annual Hurricane Fair, and specifically, the rules for its usual Friday night costume contest. It was a favorite - on that night, almost everyone at the fair would be dressed up somehow. It was one of Ness's favorite events, too. She loved the fair - and the costumes were always big and colorful and fun. 

"You want to enter the costume contest?" Ness asked, wondering what fresh manipulation his request was. Malhare didn't exactly seem the costume contest type. 

"Well, I want to make a costume," Malhare responded with a grin in his voice. There was something ominous in his voice, but Ness didn't press. 

Ness and Malhare ended up shopping at a craft store - which was an absolutely absurd experience for Ness. Any 'normal' situation was strange with Malhare around, but shopping for paints and materials was, somehow, extra strange. Malhare didn't seem bothered, though - he just chattered on about what he wanted. Which was, apparently, a rabbit mask. 

"Just a mask?" Ness had asked, "that's not going to win the costume contest."

"It's not about the contest, Vanny," Malhare said, the words sending a chill down Ness's spine, "it's about the chance to wear a costume at the fair. Don't you think that sounds fun?" 

It didn't sound fun to her at all, because Ness couldn't get past the fear of what, exactly, Malhare was planning. Despite that, Ness didn't argue. She would need her energy to fight whatever he wanted to do with the mask - fighting against making it would just be a waste. 

And, a day later, when all was said and done, Ness couldn't help but be a little proud of the mask. She dabbled in art, sometimes, but it wasn't her forte, so the fact that the mask actually looked rabbit-like was a pleasant surprise. And the white, brown, and red paint were more or less in their lines - which was something, she supposed. 

"Looks pretty good!" Malhare chimed in. He slipped into control and picked the mask up in order to turn it back and forth, giving it a good look. "I knew you had it in you! This will do just fine."

Of course, Ness's pride in her creation was tempered by Malhare's enjoyment. It was not usually a good sign when he liked things that she did. He slipped the mask over her head - the eye holes weren't perfect, so her vision was somewhat limited and slightly warped. Malhare stood them up and headed for the mirror - Ness put up a fight when they started walking, but that time he tempered her down without much difficulty. Once in front of the mirror, they stood there for a long moment. Eventually, Malhare reached behind and bundled their hair back into a thick ponytail. They looked this way and that, getting a good look at the rabbit mask covering their face. And then, Malhare grinned - Ness couldn't see it, but she could feel her mouth widen. 

"Yeah," Malhare said again, "this will do just fine."

* * *

Ness had always liked the town fair. She liked playing the overpriced games. She liked roaming around stuffing herself with as much overpriced, fried food she could find. She _especially_ liked to ride the rides - the higher and faster they went, the better. It'd always been special when she was younger, too, because they just hadn't gone very often, given that Mike was disinclined to trust child friendly attractions full of strange adults and was prone to noise-induced headaches. Ness liked the fair - in fact, she might even say she _loved_ it. 

And never in her life had she ever wanted to be at a place less. 

It was a refreshingly crisp evening, and the fair was in full swing. People - adults and children alike - walked about in cheerful groups. The sounds of joyful screaming echoed from every ride on the place - babies cried, children shouted, drunk men and women laughed uproariously at some joke their friends had just told. Signs of life - joyful, happy life - were everywhere. 

Costumed people wandered around the grounds. There were people with face paint or masks, others wearing sparkly suits with big, fluffy boas, there was even a furry or two in full fursuit costume. So no one paid any particular attention to the woman with the rabbit mask on her face. Every now and then, Ness would catch someone's eye - but they generally just gave her a thumbs up and complimented the artistry of the mask. Ness blended right in. 

Exactly as Malhare had predicted. 

"I don't want to be here," Ness muttered as they slipped through the crowd. The sensation was a strange one - as if they were sharing control of her body. _She_ wanted to leave, but Malhare kept them moving through the crowd, instead. But Ness could still feel her muscles working - could still do small things herself, like turn her head or reach out with her hands. Fighting him when he'd snatched control on their way out of Ness's apartment had been fruitless - as if she hit an unbreakable wall. She wasn't sure when his control had become so steely, but it had. She couldn't even hardly slow them down anymore. 

"Tough luck," Malhare responded, "I do, so we're staying."

"Why are we here, again?" 

"To have fun," Malhare answered, "obviously."

"Then let's go on a ride," Ness said, pausing in place and turning her head to look at the massive Ferris wheel behind them, "or play a game. Those are fun."

"Let me clarify. We're here so _I_ can have fun," Malhare said, "and that doesn't include rides or games or food."

No, it didn't. Ness was actually well aware of that. After all, there were a pair of knives - large, sharp knives - strapped to her body. Those had been Malhare's idea, of course - giving her a sickening understanding of what he was planning. When he'd grabbed them, Ness had protested. At least, she'd tried to. There had been no doubt what he'd intended from that moment on. 

They turned back forward and moved on, mostly under Malhare's control. Ness wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for - but she very much hoped he didn't find it. 

They had been there for a while when the somewhat far-off sound of a child crying caught their attention. Their ears perked up - an incredibly odd sensation for Ness, given she didn't actually have flexible rabbit ears. They turned and made a beeline for the noise, even as Ness tried and tried to stop her body with a renewed surge of willpower. All she managed was to slow them down a bit, though. 

"You're annoying me," Malhare hissed at her as she continued to fight his control, "back off, would you?" 

"No," Ness answered, "leave them alone - someone's going to come help them before we find them anyway."

"Awfully positive of you," the rabbit retorted, "but I guess we won't know until we see, will we? Stop _fighting_ me, Vanessa!" A sudden stab of pain shot through Ness's mind, causing her to cry out even as Malhare used the distraction to regain control of their body. They moved along at a quicker pace after that. As the pain abated from her mind, Ness found herself even more tired than before. What control she'd retained of their body faded, and she found herself drifting back, the sensations of her body escaping her as she became something of a spectator. 

They found the child in short order. A little girl was standing alone in the shadows between two massive rides, sobbing softly to herself while she looked around in desperation. She was clearly lost, clearly alone, and scared. But even though a few people gave her a side-eye, no one stopped to help her. It made Ness feel ill. Malhare's excitement made her feel worse. 

"Hey there kiddo," Malhare said with Ness's voice as they approached the child. The little girl looked at them with wide eyes and backed up just slightly - and so they crouched to her level. "Aw, it's okay tyke," Malhare said, "you don't have to be scared - I'm here to help you! Whatever is the matter? Where are your parents?" 

"Can't find her," the little girl said, sniffling. She pointed up at the ride to their left. "I wanted to see the pretty lights, but then I couldn't find my mommy!" As if reminding herself of her predicament, she burst into a fresh round of noisy tears. 

"Hey, hey now that's enough of that," Malhare said - the words oddly soothing, despite his internal agitation. It was unfounded, though - the girl's crying did cause a few people to look, but all they saw was the back of a young woman helping out a scared child. If anything, it caused relief - someone else was helping so they didn't have to. Ness so badly wanted to scream at them to come and take the girl away before something bad happened to her. 

"Your mommy is probably trying to find you too," Malhare continued as the child calmed slightly, "I'm sure she's super scared!" He got to their feet, and held their hand out to the little girl. "Come with me," He said gently, "I can help you find your mom." The feeling of the little girl latching on to their hand - desperate for the safety of a trusted adult - renewed something in Ness. 

"Like hell you can!" She snapped internally, trying to shove herself forward and regain some measure of control, "leave her alone! I'm not going to let you hurt anyone!" She couldn't let go of the girl's hand - but they didn't move, either. She could just feel the sensations of her own arms and legs and body, some measure of progress that told her it was working. 

"Stop being such a buzzkill," Malhare said, the conversation completely internal, "all you're doing is delaying the inevitable, Vanny. You don't have the strength to fight me on this, so _back off_."

"No," Ness growled back. The pain returned - hurt so bad she was all but blinded with it. But she didn't let up, that time - even as she felt as if every ounce of her was being drained away, she didn't let up. There was too much at stake. 

But Malhare was right. No matter of willpower could get blood from a stone, and where her strength began to wane, his only seemed to grow. She cried as her control of her body slipped away entirely - and then slipped further still, blinding and deafening her to the world beyond her head. 

"Miss?" She barely heard the little girl ask. 

"Run," Ness tried to say, but even in her own head the sound was quiet. There was no way it made it to her mouth. Distantly, she heard herself speaking - no, Malhare speaking with her voice again. They shifted in place, began to walk. Malhare cackled at her as Ness tried to claw her way back to awareness. 

"Ness? Hey, Ness!" Ness heard the familiar voice clear as day, and with a sensation not unlike being yanked by a rubber band, Ness was back in her body. She could see, hear - her vision swam as the sensation completely disoriented her. She let go of the little girl's hand and grabbed a nearby pole to keep herself from falling. As she stood there and tried to recover, footsteps quickly approached her. 

And then Luis was suddenly there, helping to brace her with a hand. He looked at her with worry plastered all over his face and Ness tried her best not to sob in relief. Luis reached out and pushed her mask away, his concern growing when they locked eyes. 

"Are you alright?" Luis asked her, "what's the matter?" 

"S-sorry," she stammered - and uneven as it was, it was _her_ voice, saying the words _she_ wanted to say. "I just…suddenly got, really dizzy." Even as she explained, she was able to stand a little straighter - the world still wasn't entirely _right,_ but it settled down in her vision. The dizziness settled to something far more bearable. "I'm okay," she said, a little stronger now as she let go of the pole, "I'm alright."

"You almost fell," Luis told her, "you're obviously not okay! C'mon, let's go find a paramedic - you need to get checked out -" 

"No!" Ness exclaimed, startling Luis. She turned to face him entirely, reached out, and grabbed his shoulders tight. "No. I'm fine - I'll be fine. But she needs help." Ness gestured at the child, who was watching everything with a scared, confused expression. "She's lost. Get her to a security officer or something so they can find her mom." Luis wasn't convinced, but he was a good person and an older sibling - he knew that the kid needed to come first. He turned slightly, Ness's hands falling from his shoulders, and looked at the child. 

"Lost, huh? Don't worry kiddo, we'll help you out. Come on Ness, let's see if we can find her mom," Luis said. 

"No," Ness blurted quickly, wanting to beat Malhare to it, "No, I, uh, I still feel dizzy. I'm gonna sit down. Can you take her yourself? Please?" Luis frowned at her, but after a long second nodded hesitantly. 

"Okay," He agreed, "but I won't be long, okay? Wait here for me, please. I'm worried about you - I won't be long, then we can get you checked."

"Sure," Ness said easily, because she just wanted him and the little girl to _go._ Luis's frown deepened, but he nodded and looked to the little girl. 

"C'mon kiddo, let's get you back to your mom." The little girl eyed him with uncertainty and looked to Ness, who was quick to give her an encouraging nod. At that, the little girl nodded herself and took Luis's hand. They walked away, and Ness watched them go. The instant they were out of sight, she fled the spot. She didn't know exactly where she was going, she just knew she needed to get away from where she was. 

She eventually found a hiding nook burrowed back behind a few big game booths. There was no one around, it was entirely empty except for some random garbage. As soon as she could be sure she was alone, Ness let herself fall to the ground. She grabbed the mask, ripped it from her head, and tossed it away from her. She tucked her knees up into her chest, burrowed herself into a ball, and sobbed. She felt rather than saw Malhare materialize away from her, forming a short distance away. While she sobbed, he paced. 

"That _boy,"_ Malhare fumed, "if he hadn't interfered -" 

"What? What?!" Ness demanded, looking up to glare at the rabbit through her tears, "if he hadn't interfered, _what?_ You would have taken that girl somewhere and killed her?" 

" _Yes,_ " Malhare snapped back, turning in place with a slight flourish to look at her. "Obviously! Why even ask? You knew exactly what was going on - you've known since we left your apartment with a mask on our face and knives behind our _back!_ " 

"You're a monster," Ness all but snarled at him. But that just made the rabbit laugh. 

"Have you only just figured that out, Vanny?" He taunted her, "or have you just been keeping yourself in denial, unwilling to face the nature of the monster _you_ let in?" Ness didn't have anything smart to say to that. He wasn't wrong, after all. She wouldn't say she'd willingly let him in - she hadn't known that he was real, after all. But she hadn't fought against him hard enough in the beginning, and they both knew it was too late now. 

"That's what I thought," Malhare said softly, and Ness was sure his eternal grin had widened. Feeling crushed by her exhaustion, Ness pulled back into herself and sighed. They stayed there for awhile - Ness didn't have the energy to move, and Malhare didn't seem to be in any hurry. 

"Ness?" A nearby voice called out questioningly, and Ness lifted her head even as Malhare spun in place - both ears perking. "Ness! Where'd you go?" It was Luis - invisible beyond the booths blocking Ness in, but close all the same. He was looking for her - she'd run, and he was still worried enough to try and find her. To make sure she was okay. 

Ness really wished he wouldn't. 

"Well, well, well," Malhare said softly, "here he is again. Like a bad infestation, that one. He's very worried about you, Vanny." Malhare turned to look at her, and Ness felt his sudden amusement as keenly as if it were her own - she wondered if he could feel her responding sense of dread. "Let's not keep the poor boy worrying, hm?" Malhare vanished in place and Ness couldn't even begin to fight him as he took her - their - body back under his full control. They got to their feet, their posture much sturdier with Malhare in charge. Their vision - or, Ness realized, it was just hers - began to static and fizz out. 

"I'm back here, Luis," Ness heard Malhare call in her voice, even as her world faded once more to deafening black. 

* * *

For a moment, Ness's head reeled as she stood there, trying to make sense of what had happened. Malhare had called for Luis, and Ness had blacked out entirely. But now she was standing again, she could see, hear, feel. Things were slightly distorted - she realized it was because she had her mask on again. They were still at the fair, Ness could hear the music and the people. They were still - yeah, still in the empty place behind the booths. So why had she been given back control? Trying to make sense of everything, Ness looked down at her hands, only to freeze when she saw they were covered in blood.

"No," Ness whispered, bracing herself as she turned. Luis was lying on the ground, a pool of blood soaking around him. She couldn't see his face - but she could imagine it. Wide eyed. Lifeless. She stared, and he didn't move, and she knew it must be true. Her breaths began to come in harsh gasps, and she backed away. "No…no! What did you do?!" 

"What did I do?" Malhare asked, giggling softly. Ness looked down again, seeing clean paws where her bloody hands had just been. They turned this way and that, pointedly. " _I_ didn't do anything," Malhare continued as the vision of his form faded, "my paws are clean! The real question is, what did _you_ do, Ness?" 

"No! It wasn't me! You did this - I know you did! You -" Ness cut off with a cry as a lancing pain shot through her head. She grabbed it, ignoring the slick heat of the blood on her hands, and sobbed as it faded back away.

"Oh don't be so dramatic," Malhare responded, "I only took care of our issue. He was being too persistent, asking too many questions. It's better this way, don't even worry about it."

"You killed him," Ness sobbed out, even as the pain struck again, "he only wanted - he was so nice - you killed him! How could -" She cut off with a gasp, unable to say anymore. Literally forced to be quiet. They were listening again - Ness heard the sound of raised voices getting closer. 

"Let's go," Malhare said, turning them towards the nearby fence. Ness didn't want to - she so very much didn't want to go. What if Luis was alive still, and she could help? She couldn't just leave him there - even if he _was_ dead. But it didn't matter what Ness wanted. They ran, leapt, and climbed the fence with a sort of ease Ness wasn't sure she could have managed on her own. They stuck to the shadows and slipped along carefully as they made their way to Ness's car - there were already sirens in the air by the time they got there. But no one came running for them. No one so much as saw the woman or the blood covering her hands. Their escape was clean. 

Easy. 

In seemingly no time at all, they were home. Ness didn't remember the drive - and she couldn't say if it was because of Malhare's control or her own numbness. At home, she was aware, but hardly paid attention as Malhare dealt with the blood on her clothes and their body with practiced ease. He spoke to Ness, but she didn't answer. She couldn't. 

They were at home, but it was as if Ness were still back at the fair, still in the shadows, still staring down at the body of her best friend. She was stuck there in that image, stuck in that desperate horror, and Ness wasn't sure if she would ever escape it again. 


	10. Chapter 9: Reluctant Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malhare makes a new friend.

Ness was roused from her stupor some unknown time later by the sound of her phone ringing. She'd ended up lying in bed, though she wasn't sure when that had happened, and as she looked around she realized daylight was filtering through the window screen. Ness reached over and picked up her phone, looked at it, and froze. 'Mrs. Cabrera' lit up the screen, and a thousand thoughts flashed through Ness's mind - the clearest being _she didn't want to answer the phone._ Facing the woman's grief would be more than Ness could bear. 

"What are you doing? Answer it," Malhare urged her, even as Ness tried to place the phone back on the nightstand. 

"I can't," Ness replied quietly. She felt Malhare's stab of annoyance, and then he slipped forward into her place. Ness let him and backed away, not even bothering to fight it. 

"Hey, Mrs. Cabrera," Malhare said in Ness's voice as they answered the phone, "sorry, I was -" 

"Ness! Sorry, I had to - we're at the hospital. I thought you should, oh - " Mrs. Cabrera paused, tears choking her voice, "I had to call - Luis has been hurt. Badly, he's - ah. Sorry." Both Ness and Malhare went still - Ness felt struck suddenly by a mix of her own nervous joy and Malhare's apprehension. If they'd been separate entities, Ness was sure they would have exchanged a look. 

_Hurt,_ she had said. Hurt, not dead. Hurt, not dying. 

"The hospital called us," Mrs. Cabrera said, "there were cops and everything - they said he was attacked at the fair! Wanted to know if he had _enemies,_ I guess he said, he didn't see who - oh," she paused, and Ness heard her sniffle. "I'm sorry. Again. I'm trying to - he's in surgery, he's been in surgery for - for a while. They're not telling us much yet. I just, just wanted you to know. I thought you should know."

"I'm so sorry," Malhare said, and the way he used Ness's voice so quietly made the sentiment seem so believable, "I can't believe - please update me, when you can. Do you need me to bring you anything?" 

"No, thank you, Ness," the woman answered, "I'll let you know, when I can - if…when. When he pulls through, as soon as he can have visitors I'll let you know. I know he'd want you here."

"Thank you, and please let me know if you need anything at all," Malhare responded, and they hung up shortly after. As soon as they had, he hummed softly, and Ness could feel the gears turning in his mind. "Now this is interesting," He said. Ness let an unspoken hint of curiosity pass through them. "Well," Malhare continued, "if the cops got a chance to ask him questions, then why did he lie? He was very clear on who, exactly, attacked him." He paused, hummed again. "Possibly too clear."

"You think he saw you?" Ness asked, surprised, "I didn't think anyone besides me could see you."

"Ideally that would be true. But when you start mixing impending death in with the other factors, I guess it's not impossible," Malhare answered. "Either way, it seems that boy is exceedingly loyal to you, Nessie. Lying for you, even after you nearly killed him."

" _You_ nearly killed him," Ness shot back, and she felt Malhare's grin. 

"What's the difference?" He asked cheerfully, "at any rate, I think it's only right we go and pay him a visit, once he's well. Assuming he pulls through, of course."

"He lied for us," Ness protested, "and he can't bother us in the hospital. There's no reason to go and hurt him anymore. Besides, it'd be risky -" 

"Relax Vanny, relax!" Malhare cut in with a soft laugh. "You're always so pessimistic. Who said anything about hurting him? He's clearly very loyal to you - and _that_ is something I can use."

* * *

Two days passed before Ness was able to see Luis. Even after surgery, his condition was touch and go - and while he was in the ICU, his visitors were strictly limited to family. Ness visited the hospital often, anyway, mostly to help support the Cabrera's by bringing them things they needed. To Ness's surprise, Malhare was surprisingly quiet - he didn't protest or stop her from helping. He didn't even take control most of the time. Although, on those occasions when Ness's guilt overwhelmed her, he'd step in - keeping their movements and actions stable where she may otherwise stagger. 

Ness wanted to see Luis so badly it hurt - she wanted to see him alive with her own eyes. At the same time, she was terrified. She was afraid that Malhare was lying, that he'd do something to hurt Luis again. Ness was also afraid of how Luis would react to seeing her. She wouldn't blame him, not one bit, but the thought he might turn her away made her chest twist painfully. 

As it turned out, she needn't have worried. Eventually, Luis stabilized, then he was moved, and finally he could have visitors. And, according to his mom, he'd asked after Ness almost immediately upon waking and had repeatedly asked about her since. So, after two days of anxiety, Ness finally walked into Luis's hospital room. She finally got to see him - he was pale, the shadows under his eyes were thick, he looked every bit the part of a sickly hospital patient. But he was alive, and breathing, and on the path to recovery. 

"Hey, Ness," Luis greeted her softly. He'd looked at her the instant she came around the corner of the doorway - and he'd kept looking at her. His gaze was soft, and warm, but over all unreadable. 

"Hey, Luis," Ness answered, something thick in her throat. At her words, Luis brightened. He gave her a familiar, slightly crooked grin - even though Ness couldn't make herself return it. They watched each other for a long few seconds, and Ness wondered what it was that Luis could see in her own face. 

"Mom? Dad? Can we talk alone for a bit?" Luis asked. His parents exchanged a look, clearly not chomping at the bit to leave their son alone for any time yet. "Please?" Luis pressed, "go get something to eat, or take a walk. I'll be okay - I'm with Ness, and I'm not going anywhere any time soon."

"Of course," his dad said after a moment more, "We'll be back in awhile, but don't be afraid to have them page us if you need us, alright kiddo?" 

"You've got it," Luis agreed. With that, his parents slipped from the room and shut the door behind them, leaving the two young adults alone - or, at least, semi-alone, not counting otherworldly, sinister forces. 

"I'm really glad you came," Luis said, looking at Ness again, "how are you? Are you alright?" 

"Me?" Ness exclaimed in surprise, "you're asking about _me_? I'm fine, you -" 

" _Are_ you fine?" Luis interrupted, stopping her in her tracks. "Ness, _are you alright?"_

Ness stared back at him, and felt a rush of shame as tears pricked her eyes. She shook her head, unable to will herself to speak. Luis's face softened further, and he began to push himself up. Alarmed, Ness took a step towards him and held up her hands, willing him to stop. 

"Stop," she told him sternly, "I don't think you should be getting up yet, at least not without a nurse!" Luis paused, half propped up on his hands. Then, with a soft laugh, he laid back down. 

"Okay," He agreed, "but will you come over here, then?" 

"That's a bad idea," Ness responded immediately. Malhare claimed he wasn't interested in hurting Luis again - but there wasn't much trust between Ness and the rabbit. If he was lying, getting too close to Luis would give him the chance to strike. 

"C'mon Ness, please?" Luis asked again. 

"Oh just get it over with, would you?" Malhare chimed in, "I'm not lying to you - besides, even if I was, do you know how difficult it would be to get away with killing someone in the hospital? Believe me when I say jail is not part of the plan." 

Since she knew that, at least, was true, Ness swallowed, then nodded. She walked closer to the hospital bed. Then, walked closer still when Luis gestured to her. Once she was close enough, he pushed himself up to cross the rest of the distance, reached out, and wrapped his arms tightly around Ness. 

Ness gasped, and for a long few seconds all she could do was stand there, awkwardly bent, and try to process what was happening. Then, suddenly feeling a rush of need for comfort, she sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around Luis in return. Overcome with more emotions than she could name, she choked, and then the tears came all at once, hot and heavy and unstoppable. She clutched onto him a little more and burrowed her face into the crook of his neck. If he was at all bothered by her tears, Luis didn't show it. Instead, he just held her a bit more solidly. 

Ness's emotions were far from spent, but eventually her tears were. Or, perhaps, Malhare grew tired of them. Ness had no way of knowing. Even still, even after she'd stopped crying, it was a long while before Luis loosened his hold on her. When he did, she pulled back, and he smiled softly at her as they locked eyes. 

"Want to tell me about it?" Luis asked. Ness was shaking her head before he'd even finished the question. 

"No, I can't -" 

"Go ahead," Malhare interrupted. 

"What?" Ness asked, the question slipping out loud in her astonishment. 

"What?" Luis asked, looking confused. 

"Sorry," Ness said, feeling her face heat up, "it's not - hang on." She got back to her feet and walked over to the window. Luis watched her - she could feel his eyes all but boring into her head - but he didn't press. 

"What do you mean, go ahead?" Ness asked, internally this time. She reached out and laid a hand against the glass of the window. Even in the mostly transparent surface, she could see the echo of Malhare's shape along with her own. "It's been threat after threat about what would happen if I told anyone."

"This is a different story," Malhare responded, "I feel sure he's already seen something of me - beyond that, his loyalty to you is something to be applauded. I think Luis here can be a great asset to us - but he'll have to know more of the truth to really be used to his full potential."

"No," Ness said, curling her hand slightly, "no, I'm not telling him. I'm not pulling him into this. We don't need him - I'm enough."

"Yeah, sure, you're plenty," Malhare agreed easily, "but there's nothing wrong with having excess. Another tool. More resources. He's a computer guy, isn't he? That could be very useful."

"I don't care," Ness replied, " _I_ don't even want to help you - I'm not getting him tangled up in this too."

"It's cute how you still seem to think you have a choice," Malhare said, his mood darkening. "Apologies, I forgot that I have to spell things out for you. He's suspicious - possibly more than that, depending on what he saw. The only reason I'm not already making plans to finish the job is because he could be useful. But here's the thing, Vanny. You're right. He's hardly _essential._ Either you tell him the truth, and his insistent attention redirects to helping us - or the instant the chance presents itself, I'll make sure he can't interfere at all. Your choice. I'm certainly not picky either way."

Ness grimaced and stood there for another minute before finally turning to look at Luis again. She couldn't bring herself to return to his side so she pulled one of the chairs closer and sat there instead. She clasped her hands in front of her and stared down at them. There had been so many times she'd imagined how she might just blurt it all out, just to tell someone, to try and get help. But now that the moment was here - now that she had _permission_ even _,_ the words felt thick in her throat. 

"'Do you remember the rabbit I told you about, the one who'd appeared in the game?'" Malhare told Ness suddenly, mimicking her voice in an exaggerated tone. "Why don't you start there?" He added. Ness clenched her hands a bit tighter, but then she found herself saying the words, anyway. It was as good a starting place as anything else. 

"The one you weren't able to show me?" Luis asked, "Yeah, I remember." 

"Right, well," Ness continued on. Once she'd gotten over first speaking, the rest tumbled out. In a hushed voice, Ness told Luis everything. Once she started, she couldn't even begin to stop herself - it was too much of a relief to finally, _finally_ be telling someone. Luis listened without interrupting. As Ness talked, something in his eyes changed - some part of them darkened. His face grew even more serious. The shadows beneath his eyes seem to grow even darker. But he didn't interrupt - he didn't laugh, or judge, or call for help. He simply listened. And, eventually, Ness ran out of things to say. 

She still stared down at her hands and waited for the inevitable. She waited for the laughter to come, or the scorn - the insinuations or downright accusations of insanity. Or even, she suspected, something more gentle - soft questions about her mental health, how she'd feel about talking to a professional. She waited, tears in her eyes again and her heart pounding in her ears, to be disbelieved. 

"How can we get rid of him?" Luis asked instead. Startled, Ness looked up at him, only to see him looking at her seriously, determination creasing every line of his face. She felt her throat tighten again - just like that, no questions asked, he believed her. Ness didn't know what to say, but she opened her mouth to say something anyway. Before she could, she felt Malhare surge into her place. Ness wasn't sure what it looked like to him, but she could see something change in Luis's face. As if he were bracing himself - as if he could tell that it wasn't Ness there, anymore. 

"Luis, Luis, Luis," Malhare said, using Ness's voice, "sorry for the interruption, but it felt like a good time to drop in. Just wanted to put any grand, heroic ideas out of your head, you know. There's no 'getting rid' of me. Nessie's best chance was to never play the game at all - and that ship sailed a long time ago. But!" He interrupted as Luis went to make an angry retort, "you don't have to worry so much! We're all pals here, right? I'm Ness's friend, and I'd be happy to be your friend, too."

"You're not her friend," Luis snapped, "friends don't torture you, they don't steal your body, and they definitely don't make you hurt other people!" Malhare lifted their arms in a brief shrug. "Can't you move along?" Luis continued, "find someone else to bother - someone who wants to do the things you've made Ness do!" 

"It's not that simple," Malhare told him, "besides, I like it here. I've made great progress, and I'm feeling pretty comfy." They leaned to the side, one arm propping along the back of the chair. "You impressed me, you know. You were lucid enough to talk to the police, but you didn't tell them who attacked you. Why?" 

"They wouldn't have understood," Luis said, clenching the hospital blanket tightly in both fists, "Ness would have ended up in prison, or something. They wouldn't have believed me when I told them it wasn't really _her._ "

"How did you know that?" 

"Ness would never hurt me."

"The News is full of tragic stories of 'they're my friend, or my family, they would never hurt me,'" Malhare retorted, "and even still, most humans would accept betrayal long before they went to supernatural possession."

"I saw you," Luis said, "when you got close, I saw - it was your eyes. They were practically glowing, and purple. They were…crazed. It wasn't natural. It wasn't imaginary. And it wasn't Ness."

"Interesting," Malhare hummed, leaning their head back. "It's strange that you saw anything at all. You didn't play the game long, but I wonder if even that short time made you more sensitive to me." He looked at Luis again. "Well, whatever happened, it's a happy accident. Sorry about the whole stabbing thing, by the way. I didn't realize at the time that you could be useful."

"I'm not useful," Luis retorted, "I'm not going to help you. I'm here for Ness - I want you to leave her alone."

"If wishes were horses, Luis," Malhare said cheerfully, "I'll tell you exactly what I told Ness. You could be useful to me, and I'm willing to use that, and I'm always happy to make a new friend. But if you're not willing to play ball, then I'll have to make sure you can't interfere. You'll have to leave the hospital sometime." He held up one of their hands when Luis made to speak. "And before you act all self-sacrificing, let me make a few things clear to you. Poor Vanny here was absolutely devastated when she thought she'd killed you. Gave right up - honestly, it was the easiest time I've had so far. So refusing me and getting yourself killed, well, that won't help her at all. And believe me, Luis, I'm not shy - I'll kill your whole family to prove a point, too. So I would think long and hard about the answer you give me." 

They grinned widely in the face of Luis's anger. His fists were clenched tightly, and his cheeks were red, but he didn't say anything. 

"Anyway, you just think that over, no need to answer me now," Malhare continued, "but get back to me soon. Patience isn't really my strong suit." He pushed them to their feet with a stretch, then turned to leave. 

"Wait, where are you going?" Luis asked in alarm, and he once again began pushing himself up. As they looked back at him, they saw him grimace and clutch at his torso. 

"I'm bored, so we're leaving. Don't worry so much," Malhare answered, lifting a hand in a wave, "We'll see you again real soon. Oh, and, don't pull a stitch there, Luis. Ness is in good hands." They grinned wider at the man, who glared back in return, and then left the room. They were sure to give a brief smile to the approaching elder Cabrera's, who returned it with a bemused goodbye wave. 

Ness didn't say anything - she didn't really have anything to say. She tried to push forward, as they left the hospital room, but was met with Malhare's unyielding control. She was starting to recognize those fights she couldn't win - most of them, unfortunately - and so backed off to wait until he grew bored enough to back away. Deep in her own head, Ness wallowed in her apologetic sorrow. She was glad Luis was alive - but the relief was badly tempered by the fact he'd been dragged into the shitshow of her circumstances. 

"C'mon, why so quiet, Ness?" Malhare interrupted her brooding. "You know what you need? A little excitement. What's something we could do?" 

"What I need is my body back," Ness retorted. 

"And you'll get it, once I'm bored," Malhare said, "for now, let's go find an activity." He chattered on about various ideas as they walked, and Ness responded when prompted, but otherwise she kept to herself, and just waited. 

Something told her that there'd be a lot of waiting, in the days to come. 


	11. Chapter 10: Tattletale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malhare isn't stupid - but neither is Luis. While Ness drifts further down the rabbit hole, Luis hatches his own plot.

There came big, blurry swaths of time in which Ness was barely aware, in which she was stuck spectating her own life through a pair of foggy goggles. There were other times still that she wasn't aware at all. Those ones frightened her the most, and when she'd inevitably return to herself, she'd look around with baited breath, expecting to find blood or a body or who knew what. Yet, despite his attempt at the fair, it seemed Malhare was in no hurry to spill any fresh blood. He was content to take his time, to build up the world around him to perfection first. 

It started with Luis. The man had been angry when confronted in the hospital, but he seemed to adjust to the situation quickly. He didn't like Malhare, that much was clear, but he stayed cowed before the malicious spirit. Before Luis was set to leave the hospital, Ness and Malhare visited him again. Then, Malhare insisted that Luis install a tracking app on his phone. Had informed him that they'd be watching and checking in. 

"I'll admit my trigger finger is a tad itchy," Malhare had said, his tone cheerful, "so be very careful about where you go. Or who you talk to. Or consider if you really want to ignore my check-ins. Just tread carefully, Luis - remember, you're not exactly essential. I'm just doing you and Ness a favor."

Luis's face had gone dark, and his shoulders had grown tense, but he'd held his tongue. Despite it all, once he was home and able, he spent a lot of time around Ness. It seemed that a majority of the time, when she'd claw her way back into control, it'd be to find Luis nearby. Surprisingly, Malhare didn't seem to mind the intrusion - in fact, he seemed to prefer to keep Luis nearby, anyway. Even when Luis wasn't around, Malhare often checked the app - always making sure Luis was where he said he'd be. If he wasn't or, usually, when Malhare simply felt like it, he'd text the man. If Luis didn't respond quickly, he'd call. 

They'd been all set to drive to Luis's house, once, when he hadn't answered either in some ten minutes. He'd called just before they left, though, and had claimed that he'd been helping his mother with lunch and had his hands covered in raw meat. Malhare had grilled him on that, had even demanded to talk to Mrs. Cabrera. When she'd assured who she believed to be Ness that they had, in fact, been making lunch, Malhare had finally relaxed. He'd warned Luis against ignoring him, and had hung up. 

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Malhare had hummed softly, only to laugh at Ness's quick and desperate plea. "Oh, alright. I suppose he can stay, for now. Just for you, Vanny."

Through all of it, Malhare was adjusting well to his role as Ness - he didn't feel the need to let her out nearly as often, anymore. He was well practiced in many of her mannerisms and speech patterns - and only got better as time passed. As Ness was needed less and less, she was given control less and less. Only on occasion. Only when Malhare was feeling particularly generous. 

Or when they were facing her father. 

Malhare, it seemed, did not trust his abilities against Mike. Trusted in them so little that he preferred to let Mike see Ness exhausted and worn - something that prompted many questions and concerns. 

"He thinks you're depressed," Malhare had shrugged it off when Ness pointed it out, "I'd rather he wasn't on my tail at all, obviously, but better this than an inkling of the truth. It's not as if we can just ignore him or your robots, anyway. If you stopped coming around, they'd be way more suspicious." He'd paused, then chuckled, "although, you could try a little harder, Vanny. You aren't actually depressed, are you?" 

Ness hadn't answered, but it was fine, because he hadn't really expected her to. 

* * *

The room was deceptively nice. It was high in the building Luis worked in, and the entire far wall was windows. The sun leaked through and made the room soothingly warm. It would have been more enjoyable, if the two men occupying the room weren't full of anxiety. A table stretched between them, but it wasn't as long as the heavy silence. 

Mike sat on one side of the table, stared across it at Luis, and desperately tried to stem the constant flow of his thoughts. Mike could be a lot of things, as many bad as good, but he was not dense. Something was wrong with his daughter - terribly wrong - but she wouldn't admit to it. She wouldn't even begin telling Mike what it could be, and his efforts to push her towards medical help had been pushed away. He was trapped in the knowledge that she was hurting, but the inability to do anything about it. 

So when Luis had requested they meet up, Mike had jumped at the opportunity. He'd been especially intrigued when Luis had sent said message through an unknown number, and had insisted that Mike could not tell Ness - no matter what. Luis knew something, and Mike would do anything for those answers. So here they sat, and while the awkward silence stretched between them, Mike looked Luis over. Although it was nowhere near as drastic as Ness, Mike could see exhaustion tugging at the younger man's eyes. 

"I just want to…it's really, really important you don't mention this to Ness, okay?" Luis finally began, "don't even discuss it if there's any chance at all she can overhear you. You need to promise me that."

"I can't make promises on a whim," Mike pointed out, "if you tell me something and I can do anything to help, you have to know I'm going to. Even if that means saying something to her."

"You can't!" Luis exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table. The noise startled them both, and Luis stared at Mike for a long second before sighing heavily and leaning back into his chair. "I'm sorry. You're right. I know what you mean. I think you'll understand when I - I'll just…I'll just get it out there. Um. Ness, hasn't been herself. I'm sure you've noticed. I'm sorry. You must have, of course."

"I have," Mike agreed, "but I admit, I'm lost to what's wrong. She won't say anything. Not even in passing. I don't want to push but…if you know, you've got to fill me in. I just want to help. From the sidelines even, if that's what it takes."

"And I need your help. She needs your help. But, it's probably not what you're thinking," Luis said, "it's not…she's not really sick. And it's not exactly a mental health problem, either. It's something…truthfully, I don't know if you'll believe me. I hope you do. At least hear me out - " 

Mike's stomach twisted into a knot in a strange sort of knowing. Or, no, not knowing, but suspecting. Worrying. He clasped his hands together, took a breath, and nodded. 

"I'm listening."

And so, Luis launched into his story. And Mike listened, and he tried to process, and he clenched his hands so hard they hurt as he did his best not to flip out on the man sitting in front of him. By the time Luis's story was done, Mike's breaths were short and painful gasps. He was torn between panic and fury and in every half a second a different emotion was winning. 

"I know this must, um, must sound crazy. But it's true, and I don't - I don't know how to help her. I need you to believe me, so maybe we can work together, and -" 

"I believe you," Mike interrupted, the words catching in his throat, "I believe you." How could he not? It was wild, sure, unbelievable. But Mike had spent his entire life around Freddy's, Mike had met the ghosts, had seen the animatronics. He'd known Springtrap, he knew the history of his own father. He knew the ins and outs that he knew neither Ness nor Luis could possibly know. How could he possibly believe this was a lie, or paranoia, or only mental illness, when the force Luis spoke of had taken the form of a rabbit? Why that animal, if it wasn't real? 

Mike's fury boiled over, and he got to his feet. He moved to leave, caught up in thinking of the things he could say, what he might be able to do, to force the malicious spirit out of his daughter. He vaguely heard a scrabble behind him, and he lashed out when a hand grabbed onto his arm tightly. As he turned, he froze when he saw Luis holding his jaw and staring at him. Mike stared back, his heart pounding. The guilt wasn't quite enough to soothe his fury, but it dampened it. 

"I'm sorry," He said. Luis nodded. 

"It's okay," Luis said, "but please don't leave yet. I need your help. _Ness_ needs your help."

"That's where I'm going, to help her," Mike told him, "I'm going to shake that rabbit out of her, if I have to."

"You can't!" Luis exclaimed, panic filling his face, "Mike, you can't just confront them - he can't know that you know. You're not gonna be able to _do_ that. You're not going to be able to just strong-arm him out, and if he knows you know, a lot of people are put in danger. Me, my family - Ness herself."

"So you want me to just pretend that I don't know about this? That everything's fine, meanwhile some malicious force is draining the life out of my daughter? Meanwhile it's making her hurt people - Luis, what happens when she actually kills someone? Do you really think we're going to be able to convince any law enforcement or judge that it wasn't really her, but the evil spirit possessing her?" Mike asked - surprisingly, being able to rant calmed his thudding heart, just slightly. 

"No. I know. I know it's difficult," Luis said, "It's killing me, so I can only imagine how you feel. But _yes_ , for now I need you to pretend you don't know. For now. We have to help her, of course we do, but just barging up to her and demanding he leave - that's not gonna do it. I want to help her more than anything, and I'll do whatever it takes, but I can't do it alone. I need your help, but we have to be careful. We have to be so, so careful."

"So if not confront them, what do you want me to do?" Mike demanded, "what's the plan here?" 

"I don't know!" Luis exclaimed. The sob that ripped in the cry caught Mike off guard, and he went still. "I don't know the answer. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking but I don't know what to do. I want to help her, I just. I don't. I don't know how." He shuddered, and his shoulders fell, and he pressed his face down into his hands. "The animatronics…I thought you might know more. I thought you might have a…I thought you might have an easy cure."

"I don't," Mike said softly. He let out a breath of his own, turned, and slipped back into his chair. He still wanted to rush out, to claw and lash at the thing possessing his daughter. But he could see it, now - the impulse wouldn't help. This wasn't a kid Mike could stand as a barrier in front of. This wasn't Springtrap - who'd had no options left, who Mike had been prepared to destroy to save, if necessary. This was his daughter, caught in a precarious situation he could not force her out of. 

"The children weren't malicious," Mike continued, "I didn't have to force them out of the animatronics. The closest - Spring Bonnie was possessed by a malicious soul, once. And I did try to help him. But in the end, it wasn't really…me. All I did was stand in front of him and beg him to fight. And he did. And the spirits of the children - they helped too. It was them that drove that evil away. Not me. I don't have the easy answer you're looking for. I don't think an easy answer exists."

"Then what do we do?" Luis asked, lifting his head to look at Mike. His eyes were red, and his face was pale, and he was oh so young. Mike had to remember that. Just like Ness, Luis was only _just_ an adult. And in this moment, he was looking to a trusted, older adult for help. To Mike. Mike couldn't be rash, and he had to save his anger for the one who deserved it. Luis needed better from him. _Ness_ needed better. So Mike took a breath, tried to calm his own nerves - of course it didn't work, but at least he could slip his professional persona on. 

"I don't know," Mike answered, "but I intend to find out. I'll ask the animatronics - they have a better understanding of some of this stuff than me. And I won't - don't worry. I won't let on that I know. But I'll ask around. I'll think it over. We'll figure something out - we'll save her, Luis. I won't rest until that thing is gone and she is free." It was true - Mike let his impulsiveness refocus into stubbornness. But he was scared, too. The truth was, he didn't know where to start. He wasn't sure what extra help the animatronics might give. He was terrified that there was no answer, no solution - that his daughter would be stuck with this horrible creature. That it would land her in jail, in a place where they had no hope of saving her. 

That it would kill her. It sounded like she was already dying. 

But Mike was good at being stubborn. He had never given up on a family member in need, so he certainly wouldn't give up on his daughter. And neither would Luis - Mike could see it in the way the younger man nodded, in the settling hardness of his eyes. 

"Will you stay with her, Luis?" 

"You don't even have to ask. I never planned to leave her."

* * *

It was a deceptively average day. Malhare was about as quiet as he ever got, and he seemed content to let Ness pilot for a while. They weren't doing much at all - just hanging out in her apartment. Luis was there, too, and had seemed determined to make Ness's day a little brighter. They'd even managed to watch a movie, though admittedly Ness had dozed through most of it. Even in charge, she found herself often drifting, or staring into the distance, missing whatever it was the TV or Luis was saying. 

But he was patient with her. Whenever she'd refocus, he'd be waiting for her with a gentle smile and a rehash of whatever he'd just said. The physical distance between them was no different than usual. He sat next to her on the couch, stood near her when they chatted on their feet, and didn't seem at all afraid. When at one point Ness woke from a doze and found herself leaned against his shoulder, he didn't seem at all bothered by it. 

He also didn't press when she moved herself away. 

Ness had to admit, it was a comfort to have Luis around. He couldn't stop Malhare from talking, or interfering, or taunting her - but at least Ness wasn't completely alone. It didn't help much, but it helped a little. 

"Are you hungry?" Luis asked her suddenly, catching her attention. Ness looked over, spotting him stirring something on the stove, and wondered if it was the first time he asked. The answer was no - she wasn't hungry, not even a little bit. She even shook her head, but she sat at the table all the same. 

"Well, you don't have to eat then, if you're not hungry," Luis told her, sounding confused. Ness couldn't blame him - how long had it been since her responses and her actions had matched up? 

"It's been awhile," Ness told him, "so, I do have to, if I want to stay out." With a sudden realization, Ness went to stand. "Oh! But you don't have to make it, Luis. What're you doing? I can -" 

"I don't mind," Luis told her, "it's nothing fancy, I'm afraid. Just some mac and cheese. It's close to done." He lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "Unless you want to finish up, of course. It's your kitchen. But, uh, don't worry about me, if that's what it is. I really don't mind."

"Okay," Ness said, slowly slipping back into her seat. 

"Isn't that just adorable," Malhare said. As he was wont to do, he manifested behind her and leaned an arm on her head. "Although it's not exactly strenuous, mac and cheese. Cute and all I guess, but it's not like it takes effort."

"It's one of my favorites," Ness told him, sighing and leaning her head down against her own hand. Malhare wasn't even real mass - and he wasn't exactly a big guy anyway. But somehow the weight of him leaned against her felt so heavy. It felt so much harder just to hold her body up. 

"I see. Adorable."

Luis served a bowl out for both himself and Ness with a soft smile. The bowl he laid in front of Ness was full of gooey, thick mac and cheese - there was even extra shredded cheese melting on top. It was exactly how Ness liked it, it was warm and inviting and looked delicious. Even still, her stomach twisted at the thought of eating any of it. 

"You don't have to say it," she told Malhare, feeling the oncoming lecture. Despite her curling insides, Ness picked up her fork, and began to eat. Or, at least, she tried to. If she were capable of being surprised anymore, what she found would have startled her. Eating proved to be tedious work - every fall and rise of her fork felt like curling heavy weights. If her thoughts wandered - even for a half a second to say something to Malhare - her hand would drop. The fork clattered against the bowl a few times, and Ness could feel Luis watching. When Ness suddenly dropped the fork so violently a bit of cheese plopped up and hit her in the face, she gasped, let go of the fork entirely, and buried her face in her hands. 

"What's wrong?" Luis asked, alarmed. He moved from his chair and went to her side, crouching slightly so they were level. "Ness? Are you alright? What's the matter?" 

"Why is it so hard?" Ness asked, the words catching in her throat. She realized she was crying - she wasn't sure when that had started. She lifted her head with a shaky breath and looked at Luis, who looked back at her with so much concern he looked as if he might cry too. "It's so hard," Ness said again, "it shouldn't _be_ hard - it's _my_ body!" 

"Is it really, though?" Malhare asked, at which Ness promptly burst into a fresh round of hot and heavy tears. She buried her face into her hands again, just as Luis rose slightly. He was quiet for a long second, and then Ness felt herself being enveloped into a tight, grounding hug. Barely conscious of it, Ness unfolded herself and wrapped her arms tightly around Luis in return. She buried her face into his chest, and let herself cry. 

"I'm sorry," Luis said, his words reverberating through his body, even if they were quietly spoken. "I'm so sorry."

"Help me," the plea escaped Ness without her meaning to let it, "Please _help_ me."

"I'm sorry," Luis repeated, his own voice sounding thick, "I'm sorry, but I'm here. I'm here, Nessie. I'm not going anywhere." And it wasn't enough - it wasn't what she asked for. But Ness understood. It'd been unfair to even say the words out loud, because Luis knew the truth just as much as she did. He _couldn't_ help her. No one could. But he was there. At least, Ness thought, he was there. 

"There, there, Vanny," Malhare chimed in. He reached out and patted her head, the gesture stiff and fake. "That's right, just get it all out." The words were practically filled with glee, and Ness felt that twisting in her stomach turn to real nausea. She whined softly and tried to burrow tighter against Luis - there was nowhere left to go, but his hold on her strengthened. 

But it didn't matter. Luis was there - but so was Malhare. No matter the comfort, or the strength of the human's hug, there was no escaping the sinister consciousness so fully entangled with Ness's own. 

Luis wasn't going anywhere. 

Neither was Malhare. 

And only one of them was killing her.


	12. Chapter 11: Six Feet Under

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the hope in the world can't get blood from a stone. Or, in this case, find an easy answer when there is none.
> 
> But that doesn't mean there's no answer at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: I'll just be honest, we're getting stabby up in here. Any TWs related to that applies to this chapter.

Everywhere Mike turned was another dead end. At first, he'd been terrified out of his mind, but a part of him had also been hopeful that the answer would be easy to find. He had confidence born from the idea that he was a full-fledged adult with plenty of Freddy's experience under his belt and surely,  _ surely,  _ he could handle the strange virus possessing his daughter. 

He really should have known better.

Days had passed since Luis's revelation, and none of them were any closer to so much as a clue as to what to do. None of the animatronics had any worthwhile advice, even though they tried their damndest to think of something. Their best idea was to urge Ness to fight and support her while she did, or possibly for one of the humans to go so far as to throw themselves into danger in her path. The last in the hope that it'd shake her into action enough that she'd be able to throw her malicious hitchhiker off. When Mike had broached the subject with Luis, though, he'd immediately vetoed it. 

_ It's not about the fighting. She's  _ been _ fighting,  _ Luis had texted from what was, apparently, his little sister's ancient iPod,  _ she's been fighting since before I knew about this. She's tired, Mike. She doesn't have the strength. It'll only make it worse.  _

In desperation, Mike spent hours and hours trying to research exorcism methods - but not one of them had been useful. Most of them had been scenes from movies, or books, or hysterical religious households. Nothing he would trust with something so important as this. Mike had asked the animatronics again, just like repeatedly opening up a fridge in the hopes something new would be there. And just the same, no one had any new ideas. Not even Spring Bonnie, who'd been Mike's biggest hope, given his experience with William's soul. 

"It was different," Spring Bonnie said, reaching up to tug on an ear, "He was stronger than me, yes, but he didn't make me weaker. He didn't drain anything from me. So a little extra strength was all I needed - desperation to protect you was enough. But if he's been getting stronger, and she's been getting weaker - I get it. I get what Luis is saying, why it won't help. She can't force him out, Mike."

"Then what else can we do? We have no other ideas, Spring! We can't know if any so-called exorcism would work - they're from movies and books and sh - cr - fuck it! Shit!" In a parody of Spring Bonnie's movements, Mike grabbed a chunk of his own hair and pulled at it. Meanwhile, Spring Bonnie went quiet for a long minute. 

"I don't know," Spring Bonnie finally said, "but there's one thing I do know. I would have preferred any outcome but one in which you, or anyone, died. I would have preferred anything but him winning. If this thing has taken her place, and she has no chance of fighting him anymore, then…"

It took Mike a second to catch on, but when he did, fury coursed through him in a wave so strong it sent goosebumps up his arms. 

"No," he all but snarled, "no way. Is that a joke? I'm not - it's not the answer. I won't do it. How could you even suggest it? Just because we aren't smart enough to find the answer, doesn't mean the answer is to  _ kill  _ her!" 

Spring Bonnie grimaced and glanced away. He didn't respond, and as the silence stretched between them Mike panted. He pressed his shaking hands to his sides, and tried to force the thought away entirely. It wasn't the answer. He refused to believe there wasn't a better one. 

"I couldn't," he said, his voice catching as he spoke. "Spring, I could never." At that, Spring Bonnie looked at Mike again, then nodded. Then, after a long second, he approached and pulled the human into a tight hug. 

"I know you couldn't. I don't think any of us could. Forget I said anything. I'm sorry," Spring Bonnie said. 

"It's alright," Mike said quietly, mumbling into the rabbit's fur. "It's gonna be alright. It has to be."

It had to be, because Mike didn't know what he would do if it wasn't. 

* * *

Sometimes, Luis spent the night camped out on Ness's couch, but it wasn't something he could do every night. No matter if he wanted to or not. His parents still needed him sometimes, after all, and Malhare insisted that the two young adults do their best to keep up some semblance of normalcy. Seeing as the rabbit would only keep Luis around so long as he was useful and not an interference, Luis knew it was best not to test the spirit's patience. 

It was getting late, and Luis intended to head out. Ness had gone to bed a bit ago, and it seemed likely she would be allowed to sleep through most of the night. Luis wasn't especially concerned about Malhare pulling any major shenanigans overnight. The virus had a plan, after all. 

He'd been crafting it for a while, apparently. It'd started with his insistence that Luis create his own mask, much like the one Ness had been wearing the night she stabbed him. 'A bit of arts and crafts fun,' Malhare had called it. Luis didn't need to be part of their shared mind to know that the mask would be used for something nefarious. Still, Luis  _ did _ let himself have just a tiny bit of fun with it - he had to find that where he could, after all. It wasn't as tidy as Ness's, but by the end of it, Luis had a functional, pure white rabbit mask. Malhare didn't seem all that impressed, but that only made it better, in Luis's opinion. 

Then, earlier in the current day, the three of them had wandered deep beneath the surface of Circus Baby's Pizza World. 

Some private conversation must have passed between Malhare and Ness that led to the excursion, because Malhare had so suddenly exclaimed that they were going. It'd been unnerving, to say the least. Luis had known of the basement area - a labyrinth of abandoned rooms and machinery - but it'd always been off-limits. And so standing within its walls had been, by itself, anxiety-inducing. 

It hadn't helped that Luis realized, a minute or so in, that if Malhare decided to kill him after all, it would have been the perfect place to do it. The basement was so far beneath the surface, and its walls were so thick, that no one would have heard Luis, even if he'd screamed as loud as he could. 

Luckily for him, that hadn't been Malhare's intention. That relief was tempered by the plans the rabbit had chosen to reveal. That basement, after all, would be the perfect place to lure a child. 

To lure. To kill. To hide. 

Luis had kept to himself, had listened without comment. Had felt his stomach sink to the bottom of his shoes. Had felt all that and more when Malhare had told him - voice full of glee - that Luis would be the one to do the luring. 

"I don't - I don't want to do that," Luis had said, the words escaping him before he could consider the ramifications of arguing with Malhare. But the rabbit had just given Luis a grin - one so out of place on Ness's face. 

"You already know the stakes, Luis. Deny me if you'd like, betray me if you think it's the right choice. But I'm an awfully slippery bunny, and if I get away from you, you'll have to deal with the seeds you sow. I suppose you'll have to ask yourself how much risk you're willing to put your loved ones through, just to spare one measly child," had been the spirit's response. Luis hadn't been able to answer, and that, apparently, had been answer enough. Malhare's responding chuckle still haunted Luis now. 

Luis had a lot of thoughts about the situation. He wouldn't kill a child, he wouldn't lure one to  _ be  _ killed. It was fruitless to say that to Malhare's face, though. But there was one thing Luis knew - time to make a plan of his own was running out. And, that evening, he would realize just how little, exactly, he had left. 

Before he left, Luis peeked into Ness's room to check on her. But she wasn't asleep. Instead, she was lying on her side, staring at the door. Her breathing was quick and loud, and the light from the hallway glittered off the heavy tears in her eyes. The sight of it hurt Luis. 

"Ness," Luis said as he slipped in and moved over to her bed. He crouched next to it, so they could make eye contact. "What's the matter?" A stupid question, he knew, but he hoped she understood the intent behind it. Everything was the matter, but Luis needed to know if there was something new. 

"I can't move," Ness told him, her voice breaking as she spoke, "I woke up and I can't - I can't move my own body. I can't even wiggle my toes. Luis, I can't -" She broke off, choking on a sob. Luis's sorrow for her and fury at the creature in her head battled with each other, even as he climbed onto her bed. He laid next to her, keeping a person's distance between them, and mirrored her posture. He stared into her eyes, and tried to convey all of his emotions through the look. 

"Oh Ness," He said softly. He studied her for a few seconds, and then he reached out and clasped her hand, interlacing their fingers and holding tightly. "Can you feel that?" He asked her.

"Yes."

"That's good, right? Focus on that, okay. You can still feel - hold on to that. I'm sorry." He was sorry, because what he was offering was so little. Sorry, because there was nothing else he could do. Sorry, because once again all he could do was stare at her, and hold her, while her spirit faded a little more. She was terrified, she was losing herself, and he couldn't even offer her a soothing word. Because what meaningless words could possibly soothe this? Luis was sorry, because no matter how hard he held on, he couldn't make her stay. 

* * *

"Ness and Luis were in Circus Baby's basement," Fritz blurted out suddenly. He and Mike were sitting together, tucked into the office in the back of the Arcade. Fritz hadn't had any clever thoughts or ideas about Ness's situation either. But, Mike thought, at least it was nice to have another friendly face near. 

"What?" Mike asked, looking to the other man quickly. Something in his gut twisted hard at the new information, and the implications made his head swim. They had not so much as touched the basement in the many years since the Funtime animatronics had been fixed up and Circus Baby's opened. Neither of them had wanted to think about their time underground. Ness knew of the basement, she'd found the elevator as a kid, but she also knew it was strictly off limits. 

Fritz nodded, his own look grim. "Baby told me about it when I got there this morning. Said they'd come to visit, had vanished for a little bit, and she spotted them leaving the elevator. She'd considered confronting them, but decided it was better to just let us know."

"Fuck," Mike swore, feeling his heart kick into high gear. Unfortunately, the thick-walled bunker of a basement would be the perfect place to hurt someone. To kill them. To store them. It was an empty maze of darkness and hidey holes. Mike had no doubt in his mind that was exactly why they'd been down there. For the rabbit. So he could round out whatever plans he was making. 

"Make sure the animatronics keep an extra close eye on things," Mike said, feeling as if he were watching himself speak from a distance, "especially the kids. They're going - fuck. They're going to try something. Probably soon. We can't let that happen - if she hurts or kills someone, it's over. I'll talk to Luis. Try and get the story. Try and think of something - fuck. Fuck!"

"We won't let them hurt anyone, at least not there," Fritz said, moving over to lay a hand on Mike's shoulder, "I promise. We'll watch. Maybe this isn't so bad - maybe we have an opportunity here. We can, I dunno, trap them down there. Maybe it'll give us, you know, a chance to try some things. See if we can't stop this."

Mike wished he could be half so hopeful - which was saying a lot, because Fritz didn't sound all that hopeful to begin with. With a shaky breath, Mike slipped his phone out and typed a quick message to Luis. 

_ We're running out of time _ . 

When Mike finally received a response a few hours later, he felt his heart drop clean out of him. 

_ No,  _ Luis texted. 

_ We're out of it.  _

* * *

"Please don't do this," Ness pleaded. There was no pretending it was anything else - she couldn't fight Malhare, but a desperate and crazy part of her hoped he might listen to her, if she were genuine enough. That maybe they'd somehow bonded, even if she didn't realize it, and in the last moment he'd acquiesce to her wishes. "Or at least let me go," she added, knowing her wishes were in vain, "I don't want to be here. I don't want to see this." 

"It's important that you do," Malhare said, looking down to eye the knife in their hands. They were fidgeting with it, and every now and then it'd catch the dull and dirty light of the tiny room with a glint. "Give it a chance, Vanny. I know it scares you, but that's because you don't know what you're missing! It's going to be thrilling. Before you know it, you'll be as excited as I am."

"I won't. I won't ever be like you," Ness responded. Malhare chuckled softly in return, but allowed the conversation to drop. 

They were leaning against one of the walls in the center room of the basement in Circus Baby's Pizza World. They were dressed for the occasion - the rabbit mask from before was perched on their face, and Ness's thick hair was bundled back into a heavy ponytail. Malhare was front and center, completely in control - but he was holding Ness's consciousness close, refusing to let her drift back to where she could blank out and see nothing. 

Luis was with them. Or, at least, he had been. Malhare had dubbed the man their lure - a final test of Luis's loyalty or, at least, his self-preservation and protectiveness towards his friends and family. Luis didn't want anything to do with this any more than Ness did, but like her, he was trapped between a rock and a hard place. 

But unlike Ness, he had the physical capability to flee. And she hoped he did. She hoped he didn't come back or, if he did, it'd be with cops or her father or literally anyone else except the child expected. Even if Malhare was ready for the possibility - and he was, they'd already broken one of the windows for easy escape into the darkness if necessary - it'd still make life more difficult. It'd make what Malhare wanted to do more difficult. 

Ness was willing to suffer for that. If it meant no one died at their hands, she'd do anything. 

Malhare straightened as the small room was filled with the clunking sound of the descending elevator. He turned to face the vent, slipped the knife behind them, and they waited, both with bated breath. And then, from through the vent, they heard voices. 

"Alright, stay here for a minute, okay? I have to go make sure Ballora is ready for you - she wouldn't want you to see her without her makeup!" Luis said, his voice pitched in the falsetto adults so often used with children. 

"'Kay, Mr. Bunny!" A young, excited voice responded. Even to her ears, the noise Ness made within their shared mind sounded like that of a wounded animal. 

"Well, color me surprised," Malhare said cheerfully, "the boy's actually done it. I have to be honest, I really did expect to have to kill him, but this is much preferable. Maybe there's hope for him yet."

A moment later, Luis crawled from the vent and came to stand in front of them. Even behind the white furred eyes of his own rabbit mask, Ness could see how sad he looked. She was not the only one who would be ruined by this - if anything, Luis might be more. Malhare would keep himself and Ness out of trouble at any cost - but would throw Luis to the wolves the second he felt there was no choice. 

Ness felt a sudden burst of energy, and for a few seconds she tried to push herself forward. She tried to take her body back, to fight against Malhare's control. She couldn't let this happen - she couldn't be responsible for the ending of at least three lives. But even with that small burst of strength, she was far weaker than Malhare. He pushed her attempts aside without barely lifting a mental finger. 

"Hush, Vanny, hush," He soothed mentally, "It'll be finished soon, and you'll see what I mean about the thrill." He turned his attention outwards and looked to Luis. He didn't have to say anything - Luis took a breath and began to ramble. 

"Ballora's behind her curtain right now, so that seemed like a good choice, and so she thinks she's coming to see Ballora, 'cause Ballora is her favorite, she's just a little girl -" Luis stopped dead in his tracks when Malhare lifted a hand. 

"You've done very well, Luis. I'm surprised, but pleased. Don't you worry, I know you don't have the stomach for this - you can leave the rest up to us," Malhare said. He turned away from Luis and towards the back wall. He slipped one of the knives out again, and gently touched a finger to its edge. "Go and bring her through, we're ready for her."

"R-right," Luis said, his voice shaking badly. There was a small shuffle, presumably the sound of him turning back for the vent. But, then, for a long second there was silence. Suddenly annoyed, Malhare turned back towards the man, intending to order him to move on. 

They were surprised to find Luis standing directly in front of them. They were even more surprised by the sudden feeling of hot, ripping pain in Ness's abdomen. A gasp escaped them and they backed away, looked down, and spotted the hilt of a knife sticking out of their body. 

They looked at Luis - astonishment and anger and betrayal coursed through every fiber of their code. Relief and gratefulness and joy rippled through their veins. Ness could have cried at the sudden, overwhelming knowledge that this was it. It was over. Just like that, the world was spared every awful plan Malhare had. 

Luis had hit something vital - whatever it was sapped Ness's strength quickly, and before long she was falling to the ground, the knife slipping from their fingers and clattering to the floor. She tried to brace herself for the hit, but she didn't have to. Luis was there, he caught her and followed her down, and laid her gently along the floor. The knife clattered as he shoved it away, and then Luis was holding her. She could hear him breathing - each inhale and exhale shuddering with quick-forming tears. 

There was a lot Ness wanted to do and say. She wanted to reach up and touch his face. She wanted to thank him, to reassure him, to somehow communicate to him that it was okay and this was right. But the moment was no touching scene in some romantic action movie. There was no strength left in Ness's dying body - none that she nor Malhare could provide. She couldn't reach for Luis, couldn't speak to him. 

She thought, though, that maybe, just maybe, she might have managed a smile. 


	13. Chapter 12: Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aftermath.

They were holding on to each other with grips of steel. Neither was willing to let go, but neither was willing to move. 

Malhare wanted to flee their dying body - he wanted to drag Ness along with him, prove that there was no escape, that they were bound together forever, no matter where they might go next. 

Ness wanted to hold him down and keep him attached to her dying body. She wanted them to die together, so his spirit, or form, or whatever it was would be destroyed. If he wanted to stay bound, then they would stay bound - until there was nothing left of either of them. 

Ness had felt so weak - weak and weaker still - for so long. Yet here, in this in-between, she felt stronger than ever before. They were caught in a spiritual tug of war, and Ness was surprised to find herself holding her own. Surprised, even, to find that she was winning, that they were slowly moving back towards her body, towards their shared failing strength. It was taking all of her effort, but for once, that effort was enough. 

And then, suddenly, a new hand reached out and clutched Ness's wrist. Another presence lingered near, shifted their grip so that they were holding on to Ness's hand. Then, they were prying it open, loosening the grip Ness held on her digital tormentor. Ness tried to keep her hold on Malhare, but the interloper wouldn't let her. Their hands slid apart, and with a wrench and twist that even in this unknown place was painful, Malhare was ripped away from Ness. 

" _Let him go,"_ a soft voice told her, even as she cried for the lost connection. " _Let him go. Stay here, Nessie. Save your energy for this fight."_

Ness's frame of focus shifted as Malhare shot away, and then she was looking down into the world of the living. She saw herself, lying in a pool of her own blood and staring up sightlessly. She was twitching, seizing - caught in her dying throes. Luis was leaning over her, and even from the distance Ness could see the tightness of his hold on her. One hand was up, holding a phone to his ear, and though Ness couldn't hear him, she knew he was desperately talking to someone on the other side. He glanced behind him, his attention caught by something - a second later, Funtime Foxy crawled out of the vent. The fox hurried to Ness's side, and immediately began to carefully bundle her into their arms. They turned to take her back through the vent, while Luis followed in a staggering crawl. 

There had never been a child, Ness realized, Luis was so clever. 

_"It's going to be hard, but you should fight. Fight to stay, Nessie - none of them can lose you. They love you so dearly."_ Ness turned and tried to spot the one talking to her. But whoever they were, they were invisible to even her spirit's eyes. They said no more and Ness felt their presence start to drift away. She could follow, some instinct told her that. She could go with them, she could move on. In some ways, it would be a relief. 

They had asked her to fight. Luis and her family still wanted her - still _needed_ her. If she disappointed them now, they all would lose as surely as Malhare had. Nothing would be as heavy a blow for the rabbit as her managing to live, after he'd been forced to flee her body. One last 'fuck you' to the force that had made her life a living hell. How could Ness say no to that? 

And so, she fought to stay alive. 

* * *

Ness clawed her way back to awareness with a stubbornness she'd thought Malhare had snuffed out. It was a slow and tedious process that rewarded her with the occasional glance into consciousness. A voice here, a touch there, a moment of terror and pain where she didn't know where she was but there were so many people and something was in her throat and then - 

Blissful darkness again, for a while. 

Until finally, finally, she felt herself break some sort of surface. It was not a snippet of awareness, but a gradual waking. The first thing Ness felt was the awful dryness of her mouth. Then, she smelled something sterile, and felt a frigid cold that filled her entire body. Occasional voices filtered through the hum of unconsciousness, provided the soundtrack of her slow ascent back to the world of the waking. 

There were sensations she noticed the absence of, too. There was no buzzing or humming in her ears, no sly voice to welcome her back to the waking world. The heaviness in her head and body was different - not the weight of a sinister presence, but simply the aftermath of injury and lying prone for who knew how long. As Ness began to register the existence of her extremities, she found them all under her control - if a bit heavy from disuse. 

Eventually, finally, Ness opened her eyes. 

She didn't understand everything she saw, at first. It was shapes and colors but, eventually, her brain began to make sense of them. She saw white walls and a white ceiling and a TV that hung out from the wall, playing some strange black and white movie. She saw shadows shift and move around her - people, in the…room, with her. A room, yes. She was in a bed in a hospital room. She flexed a hand - a heavy quilt laid across her body. A favorite, she remembered, a quilt that Henry had given her when she was young. 

Ness tried to speak - but all that came from her was a high-pitched grunt as the words caught in her very dry throat. Immediately, there was a rustle of movement around her, and a second later there was her dad, standing next to her and holding a straw up to her mouth. Ness took a drink, the first cutting across her throat painfully. She grimaced, but drank some more, until her throat felt less dry and her thirst was temporarily sated. Shivering slightly, though she wasn't really all that cold, Ness turned her head to watch her father put the cup down. 

"Hey kiddo," Mike said, his voice soft as he took his place in the chair sat next to her head, "good morning. Are you cold? I'll ask for more blankets." When Ness shook her head slightly, he nodded in return. "Okay." Silence passed between them for a little while, before Ness spoke. 

"He's gone," she said. Mike reached for her hand, squeezed it, and pressed it up against his forehead. 

"I'm so glad," Mike responded. 

Beyond that, they didn't talk much at first, as Ness still had adjusting to do. Her thoughts wandered quickly, and even after that moment she must have drifted off to sleep again. But from that moment on, things improved, bit by bit and hour by hour. By the time the sun next rose, Ness felt more in control of herself. More awake, and aware, and capable of basic human interaction. Still, her father didn't press, and she was grateful. 

"Dad?" Ness asked at some point. 

"Yeah? You okay?" Mike responded immediately, half standing before she had even continued. 

"Yeah," Ness answered, "I just…is everyone else okay?" 

"Oh," Mike said, letting out a breath and settling back into his chair, "everyone's okay. Worried out of their minds for you, of course, but otherwise alright. You're the only one who was injured." Ness nodded, letting out a relieved sigh and settling deeper into the bed. 

"Luis?" She asked, peering at her dad as he grimaced. He glanced away from her, and Ness frowned. "Dad? What did you do?" 

"Not a slice of what I _should_ have done," Mike answered, "he should be in jail for what he did to you -" 

"Dad -" Ness began, alarmed. Before she could continue, he took her hand again and gave it a squeeze. 

"I know. I didn't do anything. Actually, it's been a bit of a task, weaving a story that kept him out of trouble. But we did. I figured - either way, that'd be what you wanted," Mike said, his voice softer. Ness nodded in answer, and for good measure squeezed his hand back. 

"He wouldn't have done it, if he didn't think it was the only chance," Ness told him, "and it worked. It worked, and all I can be is grateful."

"I know," Mike repeated, "just understand, I can't even pretend to be."

"I know."

"But if you want him here, he's welcome. You just let me know when."

"Thanks, dad."

* * *

Ness wished her father wouldn't glare so sternly at Luis - couldn't he see that the younger man was already stressed to the limit? Ness could see it - she saw it the second Luis stepped into the room. He was pale, there were deep shadows under his eyes, and there was a soft almost imperceptible tremor in his arms. When he looked at Ness, he couldn't even manage a smile - and Luis _always_ had a smile for her. 

Well, that was okay. It took some doing, but with a breath and a bit of work, Ness was able to smile for him instead. As soon as she had, he moved quickly towards the side of her bed. He stopped a short distance away - so quickly he stumbled, as if he'd only just realized what he was doing. 

"I'm sorry," He said in a quick, heavy breath, "Ness, I'm so sorry. I didn't know what else - you were _dying_ and he was going to - nothing else seemed like it - but it was wrong, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't -" He gasped, stopped, as tears dripped heavily down his face. "I'm sorry," He said again in a broken whisper. With a soft grunt, Ness pushed herself up in the bed, adjusted herself so she was sitting up a bit straighter. 

"Luis?" She asked, "come here, please?" He looked back at her, breath hitching as he tried to catch it. He didn't move for a long few seconds, and Ness didn't press the issue - she'd wait as long as she had to. She half expected him to turn and flee, and she wouldn't have blamed him one bit. But, then, he moved closer. In a parallel of the day their positions had been switched, Ness gestured him closer and closer still. And, once he was in reach, she sat up, wrapped her arms tight around him, and pulled him down to her. 

"Thank you," she told him softly, clutching him as tightly as her own injuries would allow, "Thank you for saving me." And with a fresh sob, Luis wrapped his arms just as tightly around her, and they sat that way for a long, long while.


	14. Chapter 13: Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't perfect - trauma runs deep, after all. But these days, things are looking a little brighter.

Every day felt a little better than the last. Physically, Ness was well on her way to healing entirely. The mental healing was a little slower, but time made her feel stronger and stronger still. It helped that she was never alone - Mike left the hospital only once while she was there, and even then only because she'd demanded he at least go take a shower and a nap on something other than a hospital couch. Luis, who was there nearly as often, had taken up the post of guardian for that couple of hours. Ness hadn't been surprised when her Uncle Fritz had stopped by to check in on them, though. On some level, Mike understood and even accepted what Luis had done. Still, it would be a long time before Ness's father was comfortable with Luis again. 

Once she was cleared to go home, Mike had insisted that she come and stay at his place, at least for a while. Ness hadn't even thought to argue - the truth was, she wasn't looking forward to being on her own, and especially not in her apartment. In fact, she thought about letting the apartment go entirely. She probably would - but staying at her dad's meant she had some time to consider her options. Ness _had_ asked that someone fetch Contessor - she hoped to use him to keep her mind off of things. 

Anxiety ran rampant in her head, especially when she was left to her own thoughts. Every waking, bored minute was spent spiraling down into the fear that, at any moment, Malhare would show himself again. That he'd appear, laughing at how naive she'd been to think he was actually gone. In the early days, she had occasionally experienced terrifying bouts of vertigo - easily explained by her long hours of lying prone and the fact that her body was still healing, but it was difficult to convince her own head of that. Sometimes, she woke in the middle of the night, sure she'd heard Malhare's laughter. Other times, she'd accidentally walk past a mirror or a window and flinch, suddenly terrified and sure that if she looked, she'd see him staring back at her. 

He never was actually there, though. Her thoughts stayed her own, the dizziness left and never did return, and her head was more clear than it'd been since she'd first put the headset on. She was free - no matter how hard it was to remember that in the worst moments. She was free, and sometimes she'd cry at the sheer relief of it. 

* * *

Once she was well and willing, Ness had to make her rounds. Her family was more than the humans allowed in the hospital, after all. She'd gone to the Arcade as soon as she was able, and had simply accepted it as she was all but passed around between the animatronics. Their holds were gentle but fierce, and if Ness were honest, the hugs had felt pretty damn good. Their apologies, though, had been uncomfortable. She'd spent a long time trying to reassure them that she didn't blame them one bit - not for not noticing, not for having no clue how to help, not for any of it. Eventually, Mike had taken her home, and had promised that he would make sure the animatronics understood. 

"They see protecting us as their most important job, and they think they failed. I can relate," Mike had told her, that last part muttered under his breath, "but they'll get over it, with time. Just be patient with them, they'll go back to normal."

It took Ness longer to make her way to Circus Baby's. She'd felt bad as she knew the Funtime animatronics were just as worried, but everytime she thought about going there, her heart would race and her palms would sweat. No one seemed to blame her for it - Luis claimed he felt just as nervous, while Fritz told her not to let it bother her. 

"They're just happy you're okay. They understand - really, Ness, they know you'll come to see them once you're able," Fritz had said. 

But Ness wouldn't let herself be kept away for long. It felt like losing - worse, it felt like letting Malhare win. And so, two weeks after leaving the hospital, Ness returned to Circus Baby's Pizza World. She walked in with a hand entwined with one of Luis's, and her father leading the way. They hadn't gone very far inside when Ness had to pause and catch her breath. She and Luis gripped their hands a little tighter - his was trembling slightly too. They breathed together, tried to calm themselves and each other, while the others waited. 

And then Ness felt it. 

It was different from what it'd felt like in her head. The fuzz was weak and distant - almost as if she were hearing a CRT TV buzz in a far off room. That wouldn't have been impossible given that a few of the security cameras had been repurposed from the Arcade. But Ness knew better. As soon as she heard - or rather felt - that buzz, she knew. 

"He's here," she said, the words escaping in a breath, "he's _here._ "

"What?" Luis asked, looking at her, "Ness, it's alright, he's not -" 

"He _is_ ," Ness insisted, "this isn't anxiety - it's real. I can feel it. There's this…this buzz in the air." She looked at Mike as he moved to stand in front of her, his face hard and serious. "He's _here_. Somewhere in this building," she repeated. 

"Can you tell where?" Mike asked. Ness took a breath to try and focus past her shaking hands and fired up nerves. She moved past Mike to stand more firmly in the room, and then began to look around. She looked for a long few minutes, eyeing every digital surface and possible vessel. She thought they might have to go looking, that he could be holed up in a different room, but just as she was going to give up, she spotted it. High up on a shelf behind the prize counter was a plush green rabbit, who's very form rippled and melted and constantly changed. Who's purple eyes seemed to be looking right down at Ness. 

"There," she breathed, lifting a hand to point, "it's third, no, sorry, fourth shelf up. Three plushies in. He's there."

"The Ballora plush?" Mike asked, coming to stand beside her. He counted softly under his breath as he tried to pinpoint the plush she was talking about. 

"I don't know," Ness told him, "it looks like a rabbit, to me. A weird, green…four up, three in from the right."

"Okay," Mike said with a nod. He looked at her, dug into his pockets, and plopped a pair of keys into her hand. "Alright. Take my car and head home, okay? Take Luis with you. I'll be home in a few hours."

"Wait, what're you -" 

"I'm going to destroy it," Mike said, his voice going low and deadly serious, "and it's going to be a hell of a lot of fun, I'll tell you that."

"Dad, wait, maybe I should -" Ness paused, as Mike was already shaking his head. 

"I'm sure it'd be better for you, if you could see it," He said, sounding apologetic, "but, we don't know if - what if you're still sensitive to him? What if he, I dunno, hops back into you? I don't want to take the risk." 

Ness wanted to argue - although she wasn't even entirely sure why. She didn't want anything to do with Malhare any longer, and her dad was right. There was a very real possibility she _would_ just provide another escape for the digital ghost. So she ignored the feeling entirely, nodded, and clutched the keys tight. 

"Okay. Please be careful. Please. He's not good for you, if he gets into your head…"

"He won't," Mike said, giving her a grin. He lifted a hand and rapped his knuckles carefully against the top of his beanie. "I've got a head like a diamond, Nessie. If he knows what's good for him, he won't even try. I'll see you in a bit. Okay?" 

"Okay."

* * *

The fire roared - nice and big and, most importantly, very hot. Mike had the fleeting thought that he and Fritz belonged more in some crime movie than real life, in that moment. They'd driven north a ways, until they were safely tucked into the wild nothingness of Utah flatlands. It was far from any nearby towns or villages, far from their restaurants and animatronics, and far from Ness. 

Fire, Mike knew, was a powerful purifier. It burned and destroyed quickly. He'd always thought that it might have helped the souls of the children drag William away, that night at Fazbear Frights. He felt confident that it'd put the final nail in the coffin of the sinister entity that'd haunted his daughter. The distance just made sure that, if it tried to escape, there was nowhere for the spirit to go. Mike hoped - felt pretty good about, even - that those variables combined would make sure the spirit died for good. 

The plushie still just looked like Ballora, to Mike. Even now, while they stood next to the fire and the human stared down at it. Still, he trusted Ness, and if she said her wayward hitchhiker was in the plushie, Mike knew it must be true. Besides that, as they stood there, Mike felt a tickle of _something._ He couldn't quite put a name to it, but it didn't belong. He couldn't put a name to it, but it was easy to guess what it was. 

"Not a chance in hell," He said, glaring down at the innocent looking doll in his hands. "You've done more than enough damage. You should have picked your battle more carefully and stayed far away from _my_ family." He looked to the fire. He couldn't help but grin as he took the Ballora plush and, without any further ado, tossed it into the flames. 

It landed amongst the wood already burning. And there, right in front of Mike's eyes, the plush changed. He could see the rabbit, now. Its emerald glow was bright, and the vibrant purple of its eyes gave the whole fire a violet hue. It morphed and wiggled and, unless Mike were seeing things, it _thrashed,_ as if stuck in a trap it couldn't escape. Mike's grin faded as he watched, impassive, as the glow slowly dulled. He watched as the fabric sloughed off in ashes and the stuffing popped. He watched as the rabbit burned and cracked, watched for a long moment, until the final bit of purple eye charred black. 

Even then, he continued to watch, until finally it was time to put out the flames, and go home. Although some part of him chided him for being silly, Mike really hoped it might be the last time he had to clean up a Fazbear mess. 

* * *

**Four Months Later**

"Okay," Ness said, rubbing her hands together nervously. She glanced around the room, at all of her family who'd gathered to see what she'd created. They were in the main room of the Arcade. Her father, uncles, and Luis stood by, each with their own version of a cooked grin or excited smile. The animatronics were waiting too - the expressions on their faces were harder to read, but she could tell they were excited. 

"Okay," Ness repeated, "now, um, remember, he's just a baby. You gotta be patient with him - and uh, remember, he's not like you big guys, either. His AI is still pretty basic, but I hope in time, you know, it'll get better. Oh, and, uh, his name was kind of…heavy on the tongue, you know? So he's got a new one now. I'll - I'll let him tell you, though."

"Come on lass, let us see 'im already!" Foxy broke in, "else yer nerves are bound to get the best of ye!" At his interruption, Ness let out a nervous laugh that managed to dissipate some of her tension. There was no reason to be worried - she could show them all a bare endoskeleton, and they'd still be supportive, so why on earth was she so nervous? 

"Right! Okay," she agreed. Ness turned and crouched to face the small shape currently covered by a cloth. She took a deep breath, reached out, and ripped the cloth away. 

Contessor had come a very long way from the naked endoskeleton he'd once been. He stood a little taller, now, and was much wider. Ness had chosen a plastic-like metal for his shell, making him look like a close relative of the Funtime animatronics. Given his bear-shape, he almost looked like a mini version of Funtime Freddy, in fact. The bulk of his body was a shimmering white, but his muzzle, belly, and other accent areas were a fun looking lavender. When Ness flipped his switch, a pair of startlingly blue eyes popped open. Excitedly, the little bear flapped his arms up and down. He turned his head side to side, moved his jaw up and down a few times, and then finally spoke. 

"Hello there!" He called, his voice quite loud for such a small body, "my name is Helpy! Let's be friends!" 

Feeling a warm sort of adoration for her project, Ness picked him up and stood. She turned to face the others, her heart pounding in her ears. They stared back for what felt like an eternity. Until, finally, it was her father that grinned widely. 

"That is the cutest damn bear I've ever seen!" He exclaimed. Almost immediately, both Bonnie and Freddy chimed in. 

"Language!" 

"The _cutest_ bear? That stings, Mike."

There was another heartbeat of nothing, and then Ness burst into laughter. Hers was followed by that of everyone else. As the tension broke entirely, they all moved in close to take turns looking over the small bear animatronic. At some point he was pulled from her arms, but Ness didn't mind. Excitedly, she pointed out all of his features, while Helpy babbled random responses to trigger phrases. 

As they chatted and exclaimed and gushed over the robot Ness had created, the girl felt her heart soar. By the end of the excitement, her mouth hurt from all the grinning, and everything felt bright. There, surrounded by her friends and family, Ness realized she felt lighter and happier than she had in a long, long time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe it? That's that! We've come to the end of yet another fic. 
> 
> But, of course, that's not the end for me. The oneshot collections will stay open and will be updated on occasion for quite awhile yet. Currently, I don't have any grand ideas for another long fic - but the night is young. Who knows what my brain, or the Fandom, will bring!
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, and for your support, and your love. Every view, kudo, and comment means more than I could ever say. I hope you enjoyed and, hey, I'll see you on the flipside.


End file.
